
'Qass Zr6?'fe-^^ 



ri6TH CoxGREKs, | HOUSE OF REPRKSENTATIVES. I Doci'mbnt 

MSemon. / I No. 525. 



EMORIAL ADDRESSES 



LIFE AND CHARACTER 



ALFRED C^ HARMER 






1)1.1. IVKHKII IN THE 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE, 



FIFTY-SIXTH CONGRESS, 

Second Sk.ss?on. 



WASHINGTON: 

G Cl V E K N M E .\ 1 I' K 1 N P I N I , ( P !• ]■ 1 1 ' E . 
1 90 1. 




r] nin.^L.r-iS'^ S) 



TABLE OF CONTEXTS. 



Page. 

Proceedings in the House of Representatives 5 

Address of Mr. Bingham, of Pennsylvania 10 

Address of Wr. Cummings, of New York 14 

Address of Mr Grosvenor, of Ohio 17 

Address of Mr. Adams, of Pennsylvania 21 

Address of Mr. McCleary of Minnesota 23 

Address of Mr. White, of North Carolina 25 

Address of Mr. McAleer, of Penn.sylvania 2S 

Address of Mr. De Armond, of Missouri 30 

.Address of Mr. Otey, of \'irginia 34 

.\ddress of Mr. Meyer, of Louisiana 37 

Address of Mr. aiorrell. of Pennsylvania 41 

Address of Mr. Sibley, of Pennsylvania 46 

Proceedings in the Senate 49 

Address of Mr. Penrose, of Pennsylvania. 55 

Address of Mr. Rawlins, of Utah 61 

Address of Mr. Hansbrough, of North Dakota 63 

.Address of Mr. Chandler, of New Hampshire 66 

Address of Mr. Money, of Mississippi 72 

Address of Mr. Hawley, of Connecticut 84 

Address of Mr. Carter, of Montana 86 

3 



Death of Hon, Alfred C. Harmer. 



Proceedings in the House. 

March 7, 1900. 

Mr. Bingham. Mr. vSpt-aker, it i.s more than a sad duty, and 
certainly most painful to me, personally, to announce to the 
House the decease of my esteemed and loved colleague, the 
Hon. Alfred C. H.\rmer. late a member of Congress from 
the State of Pennsylvania. 

He was recognized, as of right, "the Father of the House." 
by reason of long-continued sei^"ice, and not only that, but 
was esteemed the father of the House, because of the affection 
and high regard that the members of this liody held for him. 

It is not my purpo.se at this time to make any extended 
remarks, but I wotild feel that I was doing far less than mj' 
affection calls for if I did not say a few words in tribute to the 
deceased, 

Alfred C, Harmer was born in 1.S25 in Germantown, now 
a part of the city of Philadelphia. From his twenty-first year 
he commenced his public service as a representative of his 
people, and until the day of his death, with but few years of 
intermission, he continued their representative, either in the 
councils of the city, in offices of trust, or as a member of this 
bod}-. 

5 



6 Procft-diitgs in the Honsf. 

He ilicil in ilie same coinimiiiily in whicli he was Iwni and 
anions the jHrople who, for more than half a century, loved and 
honored him ])trsonally and held him in such high esteem and 
confidence that only death could sever their close relations. 

He was one of a marked Kr^i'P of four men whom the city of 
I'liiladeljihia sent to the American Congress, men most excep- 
tional in their usefulness and years of ser\-ice t'> the i>eople of 
their own home constituencies, as well as to tlieir State and the 
nation. 

I de.sire, l)efore offering the resolutions which I shall .send to 
the Clerk's desk, to group together the names of those four 
members who.se record to-day l>elongs to the whole coiuitry 
and for whose memory the people of Philadelphia have e.special 
affection: Judge W. D. Kelley, who was elected to fifteen Con- 
gres.ses and who .served twenty-nine years: Mr. Charles O'Neill, 
who also was elected to fifteen Congresses and .served twenty- 
uine years; Mr. Sanuiel J. Randall, who was elected to fourteen 
Congre.s.ses and served twenty-.scven years; and our colleague 
just decea.sed, Mr. A. C. H.vkmkk, who likewise was elected 
to fourteen Congresses and .served twenty-seveu years; in all, 
one hundred and twelve years of ser\'ice given by those four 
distinguished dead — a record unparalleled in the histor>- of the 
country. 

At a later date I .shall ask the House to as.sign a day for 
memorial services in honor of our dead colleague. I otTiT ihe 
resolutions which I now send to the Clerk's de.sk. 

The re.solutions were read, as follows: 

ficsoli'id. Thai the- House lia.s huard with ikcp rt-grct ami profound 
sorrow of thu ik-ath of the Hon. .\lfkeu C. H.\rmkr, for iwerily-seveii 
years a Repieseiitative from the State of Penn.sylvaiiia, and the senior 
member of this House in time of continuous service. 

Ktiolved . That a committee of fifteen memlKTs of tlie House, with 
such members of the Senate as may be joiiu-.l I"- iiiiioiiiti-ii i.) .itiiiul the 



Proceedings in the House. j 

funeral al Philadelpliia, and that the necessary expenses attending the 
execution of this order be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and 
directed to take such steps as may be necessary for properh- carrying out 
the provisions of these resolutions. 

Resolzvd, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate 
and transmit a copy thereof to the fainily of the deceased. 

The resolutions were uiiaiiinioiasly agreed to. 

The Spe.-vker announced the appointment of the following 
committee in pursuance of the resolutions just adopted: 

Mr. Hiiighani, Mr. Adams, Mr. Young of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
McAleer, Mr. Dalzell, Mr. Brosius, Mr. Wanger, Mr. Butler, 
Mr. Ketcham, Mr. McCleary, Mr. Babcock, Mr. Richard.son, 
Mr. Catchiugs, Mr. Terry, and Mr. Fitzgerald of Ma.ssachusetts. 

Mr. BiXGH.\Ji. Mr. vSpeaker, as a further mark of respect to 
our decea.sed colleague. I move that the House do now adjourn. 

The motion was agreed to; and accordingly (at 12 o'clock 
and 28 minutes p. m. ), the House adjourned. 

June 4, 1900. 
The Spe.\ker. The Clerk will read the reque.st of the gen- 
tleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Bingham] . 
The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That Saturday, at i p. m., the Sth day of December, 1900, 
be set apart for the purpose of paying tribute to the memory of Hon. 
Alfred C. H.\rmer, late a member of the House of Representatives from 
the State of Pennsylvania. 

The Speaker. Is there objection to the re([tiest of the gen- 
tleman from Pennsylvania? 

Mr. Fitzgerald of Mas,sacluisetts. I object ttntil the que.s- 
tiou of the right of the gentleman from New York 

The Speaker. That question was ruled upon twice. The 
motion to adjourn took precedence of the motion of the gentle- 
man from New York. Is there objection to the reque.st of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania? The Chair hears none. 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES, 

December s, 1900. 
After the recess. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report to the House the 
special order for this hour. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

On inoliou of Mr. Bingham, Ijy unaniniou.s consent, it wa.s ordered that 
Saturday, at i p. m., the Sth day of December, be set apart for the purjjose 
of paying tribute to the memory of Hon. Alfred C. H.^riikk, late a 
member of the House of Representatives from the State of Pennsvlvania. 

Mr. Bl.NCHAM. Mr. Speaker, I have sent to the Clerk's desk 
the resolutions which I desire to submit to the Hou.se. 
The Speaker. The Clerk will reiiort the resolutions. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved. That the business of the Htnise be now su.spended that 
opportunity may be given for tributes to tlie niemorv of Hon. Ai.frku C. 
HarmER, late a member of the House of Representatives from the State 
of Pennsylvania. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of re.spect to the meniorv of the 
deceased, and in recognition of his eminent abilities as a distinguished 
public servant, the House, at the conclusion of these memorial proceed- 
ings, shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk conuuunicate the.se resolutions to the Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to send a copv of the.se resolu- 
tions to the family of the deceased. 

The re.sohitions were unaniniouslv aa;reed to. 



I.ijt and Cliiiradir oj Allied (. . Haniur. 



ADDRESS OF MR. BiNGHAM. OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Mr. Sl-i:.\Ki:k: In tliis ;;ri-;U Hall, where our late colleague 
and associate, Alkkkd C. Harmkk, with rare fidelity to his 
public tru.'^ts, did gooti work, wc have a.sseiiibled to-day to 
express a loving and affectionate farewell and to pay tribute 
to a distinguished citizen of Peinisylvania, late a meniljer of 
this body, who for years — more than a cjuarter of a century — 
held the confidence of his inunediate constituency, the high 
esteem of associate Kepre.sentatives in fourteen Congresses, 
and who, on the 6th day of March, I goo, after a long and 
painful illne.ss, passed away to join the unretuming caravan 
"to where," beyond these voices, "there is rest." 

He was born August S, 1825, in Gerniantown, Pa., ,1 toun- 
sliip in the county of Philadelphia which in later years l)ecame 
a part of the city of Philadelphia. At an exceptionally early 
age — before he was 20 — he began his active busine.ss career in 
independent enterprise, which develojied in a short time into 
a large wholesale establi.shment. 

In his young years — in fact, we all know, e\en to the days 
nearing his final departure^he was marked by handsome face, 
conunanding form, and genial comradeship, always conspicuous 
in the gatherings of his friends and public assemblages. 

At the age ol 21 he was elected a director of the public 
schools of Gerniantown, and a few years later a member of 
the city councils of Philadelphia — most distingui.shed honors 
for a \ery young man. Although of the yoinigesl, if not the 
youngest, of that body, by his watchful care over the interests 
of his people, by his .sound judgment, and by his patient energy 
he soon a.ssociated himself with and l>ecame one of the leaders 
and strong men of the tit\- leL'isIainre. 



Address of .^fr. Diiig/iain, of Pcnitsylvaiiia. ii 

About that time Philadelpliia held stock in the North Penn- 
sylvania Railroad to the amount of 51.400,000. So great was 
the confidence in his integrity that he was elected three times 
by the councils of the city as a director to protect and watch 
over the iiUerests of the cit>- in the great corporation. 

In 1S60, as a candidate of the People's Party, succe.ssor to 
the old Whig part\', he was elected recorder of deeds for the 
city of Philadelphia. He filled this important trust with his 
usual fidelity and untiring industry, while during all the years 
of the civil war he devoted mtich of his time and active energy 
to the cause of the Union, raising funds and equipping large 
numbers of soldiers in the field. 

In the summer of 1S70 he received the nomination of the 
Republican party for Congress for the Fifth Pennsylvania 
di.strict, and was elected a member of the Forty-third Congress. 
This was the beginning of his long and u.seful Congressional 
career, exceeded in the history of this body by but few men, 
and identified with legislation as important as any quarter of 
a century's work in the history of the nation. 

From 1871 until the date of his death, twenty-.seven years 
of service, there was Itut one Congress for which he met 
defeat, and that occurred by rea.son of two Republicans 
antagonizing each other in the district. The Democratic 
candidate polled a larger vote than either in a district whose 
normal Republican majoritx' was 7,000. 

While Mr. H.\kmkr was recognized as a Repre.sentative of 
positive force and accepted ability in the House, he rarely 
entered upon general debate or word contests upon the floor. 
He was one— and there are many of like character in every 
Congress — whose work and results aimed for were reached in 
the committee room, a contribution as valuable to good leg- 
islation as oratory or prepared argument. His connnittee 



12 I. ijc and Character of Alfred C. J farmer. 

asscxriatcs regarded him as a colleaKVic always punctual, full 
of iiulustrx', watchful of the interests of his great State aud 
industrial city, sound in judRnient, clear in the expression 
of his convictions, fearless and aggressive, though most 
patient, and distinguished tor his integrity, gCKwl j)ur|)oses, 
zeal, and fitlelity. 

The records of the many Congresses in which he served as 
a Representative will show by his votes that at all limes he 
exhibited gfKxl judgment, that he was true to his party con- 
victions, and that he was always a patriot. To no division 
or part of his constituency did lie show more faithful .solici- 
tude and devote more jx;r.sonal laljor than to the soldiers 
and widows of our wars since 1861. He made their claims 
and privileges innnediate and sjiccial. In every case he 
wrote an autograiih letter to the claimant, with words of 
interest, sympathy, and hojie. He jire.ssed tho.se ca.ses jjer.sou- 
ally and never rested until a fair and just judgment was 
rendered. Ivvery soldier ami soldier's widow among his 
jK-ople mourned for him when he died. The>' felt that they 
had lost their lx;.st friend. I trust his honorable successor 
will feel that in the obligations that will pre.ss upon him his 
richest legacy will be to take up and continue Ali-kko C. 
H.vrmkk's work for the old soldiers, their widows and orphans. 

He was one of a group of four men in the House, all Ixim in 
the city of Philadelphia, whose combined .service reached the 
aggregate of one hundred and twelve years, connuencing in 
1861 and ending in 1900, two of whom .served twenty-nine 
years, and two of whom served twenty-seven years, with but 
one Congre.ss wherein there was defeat : William D. Kelley. 
who .served twenty-nine years continuously: vSanuiel J. Randall, 
who .served twent\-seven years continuoush : Charles O'Neill, 
who served lwenl\ nine \ears, and nur lanienteil colleague of 



Address of Mr. Bingham, of Poinsyivaiua. i j; 

this Con.ijress, Mr. Hakmer, who served twenty-seven j-ears, 
each of the two latter witli one Cong^ress of defeat. All were 
exceptionally strong men, influential in the Hou.se, and pos- 
sessing the confidence, approval, and affection of their constitu- 
ents. Let their names go into the history of this House as 
exceptional in work well done, as well as exceptional in the 
great confidence of their respecti\H.- constituencies. 

When, with trembling hand and \-i)ice filled with serious sad- 
ness and emotion, Mr. H.VKjikk had administered the oath of 
office to the Speaker of this House, on returning to his seat 
near the rostrum, with tears in his eyss and in faltering tones 
he said to me, "This closes my public life — so near the end of 
my life physical. My work is done, and the curtain falls." 

We send greetings to-day, dear colleague and friend. The 
work you did for so many years was work well done. Your 
peojile loved you, and they remember you with affectionate 
devotion. The record of your active, earnest life will ever 
remain a part of your country's history. 

In words eloquent and impressi\-e the pastor of his church, 
concluding the funeral services at the home of our colleague, in 
the hearing of thousands of his friends, thus spoke : 

Lastly, I would .speak of him as a believer. In youth he owned his 
faith in Christ, and in old age he shrank not when he came to the valley 
of death's shade: and after all, as he believed, death is but a shadow. He 
ado])ted Whittier's words — 

"On easy terms with law and fate. 

For what mu.st be I calmly wait. 

And trust the path I can not see — 

That God is good sufficeth me." 

And so he passed away as one long absent from his home who hears 

his father's summons in a foreign land and gladly hastens to obey, in 

sorrow only for the friends he leaves behind. We dry our tears and give 

him joy. With honor's chaplet long upon his brow, he went away to 

change it for a crown of immortality. 

The curtain falls. Farewell! 



14 Life and Clunad, > of . iijint ' . Ihuiiier. 



ADDRESS OF MR. CUMMINGS, OF NEV/ YORK 

Mr. Spe.vkkk: Far more tlian endeariiijj was our departed 
friend to iiis a.ssociates. He had all the lovable qualities .so 
characteristic of his Quaker ancestry. Indeed, the spirit of 
William Penn was the light of his existence. It .seemed to jier- 
niente him, Iwdy and soul. His teni])erament was as even a.s 
the tem]>erature of tropical .seas and his dis])Osition as ;,jenial 
as the breezes of summer. He jjleaned his friendships silently 
and unconsciously. They were a part of his l)eing, and as last- 
ing as his soul itself. His sympathies were easily awakened 
and his generosity almost proverbial. With him life was a 
quiet stream, winding its way Ixrtween the hills of adversity, 
rippling through the meadows of jieaceful industry and strict 
integrity, until it reached the lx)undle.ss ocean of eternity. It 
had no rapids, no cataracts, no great fre.shets. Its banks were 
fringed with flowers, and .shaded with elms and maples. He 
had the spirit of a philanthropist and the .serenity of a philo.so- 
jiht-r. FortN-foiir \ears luul he trodden the highways of public 
life in the sunlight of jjopular favor without encountering storms 
and cyclones. Showers there were, but only enough to produce 
flowers and add zest to life. Twenty-seven of these forty-four 
years were spent in this House. The service was arduous and 
faithful, but silently and con.scientiou.sly jK-rformed. 

Mr. H.VRJIKK was par excellence the silent man of Ihc House. 
He never ventured into the paths of oratory, but paid the strict- 
est attention to the wants of his constituents. His life work 
was [jerformed in the privacy of the committee room rather 
than on the floor of the House He was a true repre.sentative 
of the City of Brotherly Love. He witnessed many an exciting 



Address of .Ur. Cuitiniiiigs, of A^eu^ Yoi-k. 15 

scene in our legislative annals, and remained a quiet spectator, 
guided by common sense and unruffled with anger. In his 
Congres.sional career he sat under the rulings of nine Speakers 
and saw eight Presidents inaugurated. It was probably the 
proudest moment of his life when, as Father of the House, he 
administered the oath to the present occupant of the chair. It 
was his last public duty, perforriied while standing on the l.irink 
of the grave. It was a striking exhibition of Philadelphia's 
appreciation of the .services of her Congressional dele,gation. 
Three times in succe.s.sion had she supplied Congress with a 
Father of the Hou.se. Talented William D. Kelley had been 
succeeded by cheery and lovable Charles O'Neill, who in his 
turn had given place to his estimable colleague, Alfred C. 
H.\KMKK, and now H.\rmkr in his turn has departed, leaving 
the mantle with another colleague, who has served twentv-two 
years without a break. 

But, Mr. Speaker, there was one trait alwut our friend, now 
in the unknown world, that peculiarh- endeared him to every 
American heart. It was his unswerving devotion to his coun- 
try. Placid and undi.sturbed he heard the fierce discussions 
attending the consideration of the ' ' force bills ' ' under the rul- 
ings of tho.se great Speakers from Maine, Thomas B. Reed and 
James G. Blaine. He listened to many almost interminable 
tarifl debates without showing the least imixitience. When the 
very foundations of the Republic were shaken b\- the uproar 
attending the .seating of Rutherford B. Hayes he remained as 
tranquil as an Indian summer. But his emotions were .stirred 
to their inmost depths when war with Spain was declared and 
Libert\- rescued Cuba from the talons of Despotism. It was 
a war for humanity. He recognized the spirit of the age. 
By vote and action he supported the war, straining every 
nerve toward a .succes.sful result. There was no allov in his 



/.//'(■ and Character of Alfred C. Manner. 

ipilniilisiii. Ltnx- of amiilry fillctl his heart more o<)ini)lctcly 
than any other emotion. 

In one resjx-ct our dear friend was unique. I'nlike the rest 
of us, he never made a sjK^ech. and. unHke many of us, he 
impres.sed himself ujxju the lejjishition of the country. His 
services were varied and wide in scope. Twelve years was he 
a member of the Committee on Naval Affairs; twelve years was 
he a valued worker in the Connnittee t)n the District of Colum- 
bia; four years did he .serve on the Conunittee on P'oreign 
.-\(Tairs; two >ears f)n Coinage, Weijjhts, and Measures; four 
years on Pacific Railroads; two years on Indian Affairs, ami 
six years was chairman of the Committee on the Library. 
.\side from these, he served for a .secure of years on numerous 
select and minor connnittees vitally affecting the interests <if 
the country. It was while I was a.s.sociated with him in the 
Conunittee on the Library that I first appreciated the extent 
and variety of his .services to the nation. Few men have had 
more ex])erience in Conjjressional life. It was a pleasure to sit 
with him in comniittee. The s])irit of l)rotherly kindness was 
always present, and the burden of work was ever alleviated by 
the sunshine of his presence. 

Mr. Speaker, Mr. H.vrmkr's love of his country was only 
equaled by his love for his family. A more devoted husband 
and a more kind and induljjent father never blessed the earth. 
To them his loss is irreparable. But death has di.scharged him 
from all earthly duties, and nauxbt ;eniains but his memory. 
We shall miss him; his constituents will miss him; the country 
will miss him. .May we all meet him in the blest hereafter 
with a consciousness of duty as faithfnll\ performed. 



Address of Mr. Grosvenor, of Ohio. 



ADDRESS OF Mr. Grosvenor, of Ohio. 

Mr. Speaker: When it was suggested to me that upon this 
occasion I should address a few words of eulogy to the House 
upon the memory of our departed colleague, I could not refu.se 
to comply, and yet I come with no prepared words, Init only to 
contribute a few sentences to this occasion. 

When I came to the House of Repre.sentatives, in the Forty- 
ninth Congress, I found General H.^rmer an old, experienced 
member, and I became acquainted with him through availing 
myself of his kindness, his generosity, and his great knowledge 
of the details of the business and ailairs of Congre.ss. I knew 
him intimately imtil the time of his death. One of the plea.s- 
antest memories of my career here will be that I had in some 
degree at least his confidence and enjoyed in some degree his 
friendship. 

He had become noted for his silence before I came to Con- 
gress. If he ever made a speech in this House, he made it 
before I came. But he was recognized at all times as a man of 
thorough ability in the matter of mastering the details of legis- 
lation. At least that was true of him until the very close of 
his career. 

In this connection I wish to deflect a moment from discu.ssing 
the character of the decea.sed to speak of the wonderful effect 
that the polic}' of the people of Philadelphia has had upon their 
own interests and upon the interests of the country. The 
policy of seudiug men to Congress for long successive terms of 
service has been adhered to with greater tenacity in the city 
and county of Philadelphia than in any other locality in the 
United States. 

H. Doc. 525 2 



iS Lift: and Character of Alfred C. Harvter. 

I flo imt sup]x)>c that it will l)e claimed that all of the men 
\vh(i have represented Philadeljihia here during the i>erio<l 
covering; the service of many of us were originally men of the 
greatest ability, although some of them were men of distin- 
guished character when they came here, and all of them have 
lxs:ome men of distinguished ability and character while here, 
so that it has come to lie a fact that there is no city in the 
United States that has impressed its own views and interests 
one-half so much upon the legislation iA Congress as has the 
city of Philadelphia. I do not know what is the (xcult method 
Ijy which the jKrople there ascertain in the first place the pos.si- 
ble capacity of the men they select. Hut within my knowledge 
none of those men have failed, and it is a remarkable history, 
given by the gentleman from New York, that in these succes- 
si\'e Representatives Philadelphia has had the honor to have 
upon the floor of this House that personage distjiiguished by 
the friendly but important and conspicuous name of " Father-- 
of the House." 

At the time I came here Judge Kelley was ainemtierof the 
House, rapidly going into a physical decline. He la.sted, I 
believe, for but two CongTe.s.ses after I came. Judge Kelley 
was a man of remarkable character and ability. I did not 
know him Ijefore I came to Congress, but I have doubted 
whether it was ab.solutely inferable from his characteristics 
that he would become the great leader of a great idea here; 
but he did. 

And while "Charlie O'Neill." as we so fondly called him 
(for everybody loved him), was not a man of strikingly bril- 
liant attainments, yet he became a man of wonderful influence 
here, and no man was more influential in matters pertaining 
to the interests of Philadelphia and of his own Stale than 
was he. 



Address of Mr. Grosvenor. of Ohio. ig 

Aud then came General Harmer to this position. Influen- 
tial he certainly was: kind and loving we always recognized 
him to be; distinguished by the confidence that his people had 
in him; and while it is not exactly the proper and necessary 
corollary of the few remarks which I am making, we are still 
satisfied that the star of ascendenc>' in these matters of influ- 
ence and good-fellowship has not set in the sky of Philadel- 
phia's relations to the House of Representatives. It comes in 
large part from the character of the men that they select; it 
comes also from the persistent and cordial support that the 
people at home give to their repre.sentatives here. 

I, too, witnessed the aflfecting .scene at the opening of this 
Hou.se of Representatives. I did not know that General Har- 
mer had said to others what he said to me; hut after he had 
taken his seat at the close of the organization of the House, 
when he administered the oath to the Speaker, he said in ju^t a 
word or two, "Good-bye, Grosvenor: you will never see me do 
the like of that again." It touched me as I have never been 
affected by the words of any member of the House: for while I 
had not witnessed his greatness in debate, I had recognized his 
influence upon the le.gislation of the country by his wisdom, by 
his faithfulness, and by his presence here when he was able to 
be here. 

I think there can lie no higher testimonial given to any man 
who is a member of the House of Representatives than that 
which was given to General H.\rmek b\' his constituency at 
home. I never knew the details of his political conflicts, if he 
had any; but I knew that for that long time he came here cre- 
dentialed by the confidence, the loving confidence, of his con- 
stituents. He has gone, and has left behind him a record that 
ought to be studied by the people of the United States and 
understood by them. It is a grand commentary upon the 



20 /.//<• and Cliaraelcr of Alfred C. Harm, > 

criticisms i>f piililic men tlial we hear so iniicli alxmi rroni the 
public press and in the pulilic ])ulpit and from the piibhc forum 
that a great city, sometimes criticised bitterly in the heat of 
IMjIitical contests, has sent to this House of Representatives a 
cohimn of men, a galax>' of men, such as Randall and Kelley 
and Hakmkk and O'Neill, dead: and I might add the names of 
those who are living. Yet. in all this period of scandal and 
detraction, the faithfulne.ss, the honor, the integrity of that 
cluster of men has ue\'er been criticised. It goes to show that 
the attacks upon the public men of America — the .sneers and 
criticisms ujxmi public men — have in ninety-nine cases out of 
every hundred, when applied to the Congress of the I'liited 
States, been unfair and unjust. I gladly testify my fond 
remembrance and great appreciation of the high character and 
loveliness of the deceased. 



Address of Mr. Adams, of Pennsylvania. 



ADDRESS OF Mr. Adams, of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Speaker; A man who for thirt\' long 3-ears retained the 
confidence of the people of his district and held the respect and 
affection of the members of this House needs no eulogj' at the 
hands of any man, but so long as this honorable House deems 
it proper to set apart a day for memorial exercises to its 
deceased members, I can not refrain from laying my tribute on 
the bier of my late venerable colleague. Alfred C. Harmer 
was no ordinary man. He belonged to that class of citizens 
who entered public life with the strong determination to do 
what was right and to represent the interests intrusted to his 
care with energy and fidelity. His career was not of accidental 
origin. He entered with a fixed purpose to succeed, and his 
untiring energies, supported by a fine physique, so impre.ssed 
the people of Philadelphia that they not only retained his serv- 
ices, but rewarded his conscientious perfi^rmance of his dtities 
by continued promotion. 

Mr. Harmer was fir.st elected to the city council of Phila- 
delphia, next as recorder of deeds, a most responsible office, 
having charge of all the titles to real estate of that city. He 
was elected to the Forty-second Congress and continually 
reelected up to the Fift\'-sixth. During all this long period he 
never failed in regular attendance upon the sessions of the 
House, or of giving his strict attention to the questions under 
consideration. No constituent e\-er had to write him a second 
time to secure attention to his request, and no interview was 
ever denied an applicant at the Capitol or at his home. Mr. 
Harmer. so far as I know, never addressed the House during 
his long incumbencv. but as a connnittee man, where the real 



22 Life and Cbatader of Aljnd C. Harmfr. 

\vi>rk of the session is done, he was most regular in his attend- 
ance and took an active part in forniiilatin^j legislation. 

His record as a legislator tjears no taint. During his service 
Congress was liesnnrched with the Credit Mobilier and star-route 
frauds; hut no man dare associate the name of Pennsylvania's 
Representative with these corruptions. During his term of 
ser\'ice he had as colleagues Thaddeus Stevens, James K. 
Moorhead, Edward McPher.son, and our .still venerable memljer, 
Gahisha A. Grow; Representatives Morrill of \"ermont, Dawes 
of Mas.sachusetts, Logan of Illinois, Windom of Minnesota, 
Conkling of Xew York, Garfield of Ohio, and Hohnan of 
Indiana. With these men he lalx)red for all the great acts of 
legislation which reconstructed our countr>' after the relKellion 
and the great financial questions that i)reser\'ed the monetar>' 
integrity of our Re]nihlic. 

It was in his ])rivate life and actions that he gained so great 
a hold on his constituents. He loved to .see others prosperous 
and happy. His generous heart had no place for enmity. He 
was a friend of the poor, their defender and protector, and 
to-da>- many a happy household dates its prosperity from some 
kind act of Mr. H.vkmek. His agreeable and genial manners 
drew around him swarms of ardent friends and admirers, adding 
largely to his jxjpularity as a man of influence and as a poli- 
tician. His lifelong wish was gratified. He died in harness. 
His last official act was to administer as Father of the House 
the oath of office to the new Speaker. After this he failed 
rapidly in health, and died leaving an example to be added to 
that of those distingui.shed .sons of Peinisylvania, Kelley, Ran- 
dall, and O'Xeill, who, like him, had outlived all their col- 
leagues, and left long records <jf usefulness and ability to their 
citv and State. 



Address of Mr. McClcary, of Minnesota. 23 



Address of Mr. McCleary, of Minnesota. 

Mr. Speaker: The man who for iiearh- thirty years held 
the confidence and affection of an intelhgent Philadelphia con- 
stituency, as did General Harmer, has no need of eulogy 
from us. 

Nevertheless, such exercises as these are eminenth' fitting 
and proper. It is well that when a man lays down the bur- 
den of great public duties that he has faithfully carried for 
many years in the general interest, his colleagues shotild sus- 
pend for a time the public service and do honor to the departed. 
It is due to the dead and well for the living. To the dead it 
is in the nature of a reward for faithful .service: to the living 
it is an inspiration .to continue "faithful to the end." 

As Hawthorne teaches in his stor>- of The Great Stone Face, 
we become like that which we haliitualh' or frequently con- 
template. How proper, then, that a u.seful and honorable life 
shoitld at its close have for a time our respectful and sympa- 
thetic consideration. As Irving says: "The natural effect of 
sorrow over the dead is to refine and elevate the mind. 

Mr. Speaker, when I first entered this body at the first .ses- 
.sion of the Fifty-third Congress, I was fortunate in being 
seated near General Harmer. He was earlj- pointed out to 
me as one among those longest in service in the House. As 
such he was to us "new members" an object of interest and 
a subject of .study. 

He was .so quiet and retiring that I thought for a while 
that he was reserved and proud. But ere long I discovered 
my mistake. I soon found that he was a man characterized 
by works rather than words, by kindly deeds rather than l)y 
protestations of regard. 



24 /-/'A' and Characlcr of Aljtid t . llaiiiier. 

I learnetl to gr> to him for CDiiiisel, and I always received 
il. I found liini at all times gentle and generous, courtly and 
kindly, patient and patriotic — a man of conscience and of cour- 
age. What more can I say? What more could Ik: said of 
anyone? 

Those of liis loved ones who are left behind are l)le.s.sed l>y 
the fragrance of his memory. And they can surel,v find com- 
fort in the words of Whittier — 

Life i.-. cvLT Lord of IJt-atli, 

And LovL- can never lose its own. 



Address of Mr. White, of North Carolina. 25 



ADDRESS OF Mr White, of North Carolina, 

Mr. Speaker: There are two periods in the hfe of ever)' 
public man which provoke attention. If he has enemies tr 
opponents, when he starts out in his public career, seeking 
high office and public tru.st, the worst possible phase of his 
character is ventilated to the world. The tongues of his 
maligners will run a ra]iid ]iace. The defanier of character 
will know no limit. 

The other important period of a public man's life is when 
his work is done, death claims its own, and he shuffles off 
this mortal coil and goes hence. It is then that the virtues of 
the man's life are portrayed. It is then that his morals are 
held up in a glittering galaxy of beauty. It is pleasing to 
note, however, that neither one of these periods will apply to 
the gentleman whom we are eulogizing here to-day. His 
character and life were .so pure, his deportment was so upright, 
his deeds were so honorable, that the vilest enemy, if such he 
had, dared not raise his \-oice in cahnnny or slander against 
him, even though the would-be office seeker desired the 
position held by Alfred C. Harmer. 

In the second period to which I have referred, it is not at 
all necessary for those of us who survi\-e him on this floor to 
say one word in the least exaggerated term. Perhaps in all 
that we say we shall not be al)le to state the half that is due 
the man and the life that he led. It is true that his voice 
was not frequently heard, perhaps not at all, in speech making 
in this Hall. It is true also that a little brooklet that flows 
down the hillside is noisy : whether profitable or not remains 
for investigation. It is true that the great placid rivers of the 
cotiutry move with silent majest\- to the bo.som of the broad 



26 Life and Character of Alfred C. Hamier. 

ocean. beariiiK commerce for the utility of nations. The latter 
applies to Mr. Harmek. He was not noisy, but he was 
grand, useful . nohle. in every instance, and in every purpose 
strictly honest. 

Nations, like individuals, can never properly appreciate the 
services of' their s^reat men mUil they have bten called hence 
never ti> return. Man breathes freely the pure air with which 
he is surroinided. and never thinks of the blessings and life- 
giving qualities it carries until the supply is shut ofT. We 
look as a matter of course for the cherished loved ones in our 
homes day after day as we return from our toil, but never 
realize how dear they are until there is a vacant chair at the 
fireside or at the table. So with nations. We are accustomed 
to receive the results of great men's public lives and look uf)on 
them as matters of right, never properly appreciating the true 
\'alue of such individuals until we follow them for the last 
time to their final resting place. We have in the person of the 
late Hon. Ai.kkku C. Hakmp:k an example in question. For 
over twenty-seven years his valualjle counsel was unstintingly 
given the nation as a member of this Hou.se. Xo man born 
and reared as was Mr. H.vk.mek, in the immediate district 
which he so continuously and so faithfully repre.sented, could 
hold .such a position for the length of time that he was here 
without having in him the true qualities of honesty, purity of 
character, faithfulness to friends, unalloying and unswer\-ing 
fidelity in the discharge of every public trust placed in his 
hands. 

One has said that a prophet is not without honor save in his 
own country. This adage has been reversed in the ca.se of 
Mr. Hak.mkk, for nowhere on earth was he honored and 
respected more than in the midst of those wht)m he knew 
longest and knew l>est. 



Address of Ml , Wln'tc, ofXoiih Carolina. 27 

1 shall not attempt to deal with the iuuer circle of his life, 
except to say, in passing, that he must have been devoted to 
all who were near and dear to him, and loved by all who had 
the honor of his personal acquaintance. The nation loses 
perhaps one of its oldest and wisest counselors and lawmakers, 
his nati\-e State one of its most devoted and trusted statesmen, 
his district its ideal representative, and friends and acquaint- 
ances a man of honor and integrit\-, whose life is worthy the 
emulation of the young. 

With him wrong was a foe: with him right was a duty. He 
sought to know the right, and always had the courage to do 
the right; and at the close of a long, eventful, and useful life 
he was doubtless prepared to receive the divine blessing, ' ' Well 
done, good and faithful servant," and, looking across the 
river, to present to the great and good One who rules us all 
the sheaves of a long and well-spent life, and to receive the 
benediction of a loving Father in heaven. 



Life and Character oj Alfred C. /farmer. 



ADDRESS OF MR. MCALEER, OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr. Spk.vkek: We have as.sembled to-day to express our 
a])preciatioii of the life, service, anrl character of our late dis- 
tinguished colleague, Mr. Ai.Kkkd C. H.vrmek. of Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Mr. H.\K.MKK was horn in Ciermantown. a suhurh of Phila- 
delphia, his whole life having Ijeen spent in that section. The 
esteem in which he was held was .shown by the people among 
whom he cast his lot rej>eatedly electing him to positions of 
respon.sihility and trust previous to his election to Congress. 
Time after time were his ser\-ices recognized, and for a p)eriod 
of twenty-eight years he worked with untiring zeal and an 
intere.st that never flagged, gaining, as did his illustrious col- 
leagues. Kelley, Randall, and O'Neill, through length of ser^•- 
ice, the proud title of Father of the House. 

Though not an orator, his marked ability was .shown in 
another direction — in the connnittee room. There his influ- 
ence, through knowledge of legislation, made itself felt and 
was tjuick to Ije recognized. In fact, his ability was so well 
known I hardly think it requires further mention, it lieing 
conceded that Mr. H.vkmkk was one of the most faithful 
Representatives Pennsylvania ever sent to Congress. He 
connnanded the respect, love, and confidence of the people — a 
man of magnificent pre.sence, of scrupulous integrity, and 
of marked strength of mind and will, and, at the .same time, 
of rare kindness and gentleness of manner. This sjune gen- 
tleness always characterized him in all his relations of life. 
He loved his home and famih- with an undying love, and 
often in conversation has he told me of the great interest his 



Address of Mr. McAlecr, of Pennsylvania . 29 

beloved wife took in his work and the assistance she had 
given him. In the death of Mr. Harmer his city, his State, 
and the nation have lost a most efficient and patriotic public 
sen-ant, a man whose good deeds will li^•e long in the hearts 
of a grateful people. To his family we tender our sincere 
sympathy in their irreparable loss, and. although he has gone 
from us, we shall cherish his memory as that of a true and 
trusted friend, and look forward to that union in the great 
hereafter. 

In the poet's words, "What a world were this — how unen- 
durable its weight — if they whom death sundered did not meet 
again. ' ' 



30 Life and Character of Alfred C. J farmer. 



ADDRESS OF Mr. DE ARMOND, OF MISSOURI. 

Mr. Si'KAKKk: The tribute of respect which the House pays 
tn-(lay to the ineinorv of Ai.KRKD C. H.vkmkk is more than 
formal. He had tieeii liere so loiiK. he had known so many 
Repre.sentatives, he was known of so many, that it is but 
natural and projier. now that he has ^one, that some should 
speak feelinjifly and sincerely of his virtues and his sen-ices. 

How lonjj he was here, how man\' he knew, oi how much 
of the history of our country were he and his jjerfonnances 
a part I How many great men came here and went hence 
ill the long time from his entrance to his departure! How 
man\- .stirring .scenes did he witness here I And while a quiet 
man himself, in his own way and effectively he had his part 
in all of them. As remarked by one of his colleagues and 
by the eloquent gentleman from New York [Mr. Cummings] , 
he was iKJt a maker of .s]ieeches: he was a ixrrforuier of deeds. 
He w(jrked and did not talk. 

Mr. .Speaker, no one remembers (General H.vkmkr except 
in a kindly way. His course of conduct and his service in 
the House of Rejjresentatives produced none of the heart- 
burnings or annoyances or wounds that .so frequently come 
to us ill our public service here. He did nothing to hurt or 
offend anyone. Believing in transiictiiig the business intrusted 
to him by his ])eople and by his country quietly and plainly 
upon the flfK)r and in committee, rather than by engaging in 
the gladiatorial contests of debaters in the Ht)use, in all his 
long career he escaped the antagonisms, the discomfitures, 
and tile hard feelings which come to so many nieiiiliers who 
]iursue a different course. He went througli the many pha.ses 



Address of Mr. Dc Annoiid, of Missouri. 31 

of the warfare upon the floor of the House without encounter- 
ing the obstacles which many others meet, and came from 
ever\- engagement scathless and serene. He dealt no blows; 
he fostered no animosities: he received no hurts, for he gave 
none, and succeeded in securing, as he merited, the good will 
and affection of his associates here. A plea.sant career and 
a satisfactory one, Mr. .Speaker, must we pronounce that of 
our lamented friend, when we take into consideration all the 
circumstances connected with liis life and ser\'ice. 

That he accomplished much of benefit to his people I have 
not the .slighte.st doubt. The continued confidence of his 
constituents, and their love for him: his election time and 
time again, for fourteen successive terms to this body — how 
complimentar>-. how honorable it all appears! Though elected 
from the same territor}', in the main, he was not so often 
elected by the same constituency — the sons followed the 
fathers in doing him honor. The unshaken confidence of 
two generations of electors is a noble tribute to his worth and 
fitness for the place; to his .steadfastness, his truth, and his 
fidelity. His people were true to him to the end of life, 
because to life's end he was true to tliem. 

The opinion prevails in man}- quarters that the public is 
disposed to be harsh and unjust in its criticisms and judg- 
ment of the public services rendered by those elected to public 
office, and in its treatment of public servants. I am of the 
opinion, Mr. Speaker, that the reverse of that is ab.solutely 
true. It seems to me that the great body politic is kind, 
charitable, and patient in dealing with those occupying po.si- 
tions of trust and respon.sibility where there is good reason 
to believe that they are entitled to favorable consideration. 
When the public finds a man to Vie faithful — one who can be 
depended upon in emergencies, who can be trusted in public 



32 Life and Character of Alfred C. Harmct . 

life — there is a tendency on the part of the public to coiiiimn.- 
his incumbency; and it is not singular that sometimes, as in 
the case of Cicneral Hakmek, there should grow up in the 
public mind a strong affection for him and a generous dis- 
jKJsition to continue his services as long as possible. 

The career of our deceased colleague is an evidence of the 
tniili of the statement I have just made. His .ser\-ice in the 
H<nise of Representatives affords a most striking illustration 
of the fact I have suggested. In the beginning of his official 
career, men of his age and generation elected him to the re- 
sponsible position then intrusted to him. They continued to 
do so as they grew older, and. when they pa.ssed away from 
the scene of action, their sons and grandsons, who had grown 
to appreciate his services, recognized his worth and his char- 
acter and emulated their fathers in sending him again and 
again to Congress, supporting their fathers' friend faithfully 
until he was gathered to his own fathers, at the end of a long 
career of honorable and useful public .service. 

Many men occupying po.sitions in public life, who nuist at 
statetl i)eriods go tjefore the people for their supjxjrt and re- 
election, are forced int(J aggres.siveness ; they must give and 
lake blows in the open arena, and often go down in the storm 
of political battle. Many of them must retire wounded in the 
fray. But the steady support of the constituents of our deceased 
friend, their trust in liini, and his long and efficient career 
here, accomplished sileiith , kindh , sweetly, constitute a doulile 
tribute — a tribute to them, a tribute to him. 

He was the Father of the House — the third Father of the 
House from the .same city of Philadelphia. In speaking to his 
memory I expre.ss the hope of all, I think, that the succeeding 
Father of the House, also from that great cit>-, the courteous 
genllenian who first addres.sed the Hou.se ujxm this occasion, 



Address of Mr. De Arniond, of Missoun. 33 

maj- long be spared to render service to his people and to his 
country. 

.Mr. Speaker, as we pause to-day to pay our tribute of respect 
to the friend that is gone, there come to us sentiments and 
feelings beyond our power to express or control. How little 
life is, after all I There conies to us the full appreciation of 
the fact that in this arena, as in all the battle of life, we must 
encounter obstacles on every hand whenever we strive to ac- 
complish anything. We appreciate more clearly the fact that 
there are many shortcomings, many vain endeavors, many 
mistakes in the short period allotted to us for the performance 
of life's duties : and then comes the end for each of us, in turn, 
of all things temporal, and then the limitless future of another 
life or the unending doom of nothingness — extinction. Into 
the future none can peer save with the eye of faith. Of the 
myriads gone hence we have no tidings from mortal lips. They 
are in that undiscovered coiuitr\' from whose bourne no traveler 
returns. 

Our friend performed well his allotted tasks here. He was 
gentleness, modesty, and kindness personified. Having lived 
graciously, honestly, gently, and kindly, he entered the portals 
of the unknown countr}- withotit doubt and without fear; and 
we who remain behind fondly cherish his memory, and kindly, 
lovingly, trustfully hope that in a higher and better existence 
his noble spirit may expand and triumph in achievements far 
beyond the reach of mortals in this mortal existence. 
H. Doc. 525 3 



Mr. Spkakkk: Ai.rKHD C. Hakmeh >s Rone to us. it is true; 
hilt in the lijjlit wf can not see, he lives the life that never dies. 

SeUloni is it that any lejjislative liody mourns the loss of one 
so nialure in its .service, so useful in its lat)ors. so fearless amid 
its lurnioils, so jjentle and kind amid its di.scords; seldom one 
with a record .so siK)tless, a character so pure, an experience so 
ri])e, one so generally known, respected, and beloved; seldom, 
t<jo, one whose puVilic career was so extended, and whose pres- 
ence jjrodnced such fras^rance, whose ab.sence created such void. 

M> remenil)rance of him was first as the " Father of the 
House," standing alone before the first Speaker luuler whom 
it was my privilege to serve in this body, as he .swore in that 
exalted officer, in the discharge of which duty his gentleness of 
manner gave a.ssurance of a "kindlier half to the human heart 
which kindly deeds might reach." 

Mv last remembrance of him was as he jjresided over a com- 
mittee of this body of which I was an humble member, impress- 
ing me that his influence was like a gentle tide, making life 
more pure as it lifted the soul alx)ve the sordid problems of life. 

My acquaintance with him was incidental; by no means inti- 
mate; and far be it from me to attemjit any jiortrayal of his 
life and character. I knew him ouly to discern that the life of 
such a man made life worth living and that the world was bet- 
ter for his having lived. He was embalmed in the iimermost 
shrines of the hearts of tho.se who knew him Ijest, and the 
honors crowded on him were purchased only with merit. His 
position, whether high or low, was ever dignified by his good 
deeds and graced by the fruit of his virtues. As I saw him, 
and as I knew him, his lift- rtntcud the tints of heaven's own 



Address of Mr. Otcy. of J'irffhtia. . 35 

light, being clothed in the pure white garment of truth, that 
effluence of the divine ra>' which shed light on the paths he 
pursued. 

His great heart was like an exhaustless urn. pouring forth 
never-ending love, flooding his long and useful days as they 
rolled nearer and nearer to shine in the beyond. 

He was possessed of a governed mind, which had no thought 
but good, and his self-restraint flowed clear in the tide, widen- 
ing the waves of peace, good will, and truth. 

He was no flatterer, and as an honest man despi.sed the slime 
of insincerity. 

He would not flatter Neptune for liis trident. 
Or Jo\-e for 's power to tliunder 

Silent in his own prai.se, he gave freely to others just merit 
and took none from them that was their own. 

His courteous demeanor and gentlemanly bearing paralyzed 
malice and disarmed resentment. 

His wisdom saw and seized right, which knowledge ofttiines 
feared to o\vn. 

Wise in counsel, modest in manner, constant in principle, im- 
partial in method, he was just in judgment. He governed his 
lips as palace doors, and pure and ]K)li.shed were the words that 
passed their portals. 

The lesson of his life taught that here all was naught, and 
that though we weeji witli those who weep, yet it is not the 
room we love, but the inmate: not the broken sliell, but the 
pearl within. The daily walk of Ai^kked C. H.\r.mer absolved 
a fault and helped a virtue grow. He dared the rugged road 
of right, and while pursuing perilotts paths he lived to find 
easier a.scent and lighter loads till he reached the twin .si.ster 
peaks of Life and Death, around whose chilling snows the 
gilded clotids were painted in the warmer colors of love. 



36 Lij'f and Character of A Ij rid C. Hatmer. 

The cares of anxious days are past to him: and his sun sank 
slowly as each parting ray gleamed through the clouds of silent 
sadness, and he dreamed undreamed the tale untold and reached 
the day that knew only eternnl noon. 

We are here to drop a tear and to embalm his memory with 
our love; to plant a flower in his honor whose fragrance may 
reach those who were so near and dear to him. I say to them, 
"Alfred C. Harjier. whom you call dead, sleeps well, and 
lives aud loves you. ' ' 



Address of Afr. Meyer, of Louisiaria. 37 



ADDRESS OF Mr. Meyer, of Louisiana. 

Mr. Speaker: I rise for the purpose of joining in the 
tribute so well and fith- rendered b\- others to the niemor\- 
of the late Alp'RED C. H.\rmer, of Pennsylvania. I have 
known him well during ten years of mutual association as 
a member of this body, and to know Mr. Harmer well 
was to hold him in esteem and respect. 

Mr. Harmer's term of ser\4ce began on the 4th of March, 
187 1, long before I entered this body. With the exception 
of the Fort3'-fourth Congress, Mr. Hariier steadily repre- 
sented the great State of Pennsylvania, and especiall}- the 
city of Philadelphia, of which he was a citizen. It is no 
common honor to be thus chosen to represent a city which 
in the infancy of our Republic was its national capital, the 
city where the Continental Congress first met. whefe our 
Independence was proclaimed, and where our Federal Consti- 
tution was framed by the patriots of 1789. This high honor 
was enhanced by the growth of this cit3' in population, 
wealth, educational institutions, conmierce, and the arts which 
have contributed so greath- to our national development. 
That in a city so important and so fertile in men of talent 
and force Mr. Harmer should Ije chosen and so long re- 
tained in the public service as he was, is a fact that is 
more impressive than a costlj- monument would be, or any 
words of eulogy that I could utter. 

Nothing less than high qualities of personal integrity-, 
fidelity, and business efficiency could have gained for him 
such a steady and unwavering support from those who knew 
him best and were most competeni to estimate his value. 



: iff and Character of Alfred C. Harmer. 

h IS creditable ti) tlii: city of Philadelphia that, probably 
more than any (»ther jjreat center of population, she has 
sliown :i marked disinwition to retain in her service in this 
Hall Rc])resentatives of tried efficiency and fidelity. It is 
.1 slrikinj; jiroof of what I sa\-. that two of her Repre.sent- 
.itive> have been lately known successively as the "Father 
of the House." a term ^fiven to the oldest member in con- 
timioiis service. I am free to say that in setting.; this hon- 
oral>le example this jjreat city has .sacrificed none of her 
imix>rtant interests in our lefji-slation, but has, on the con- 
trary, ])romoled tho.se interests and al.so the interests and 
influence of the whole Connnonwealth to which they lx;lon;<. 

The year 1S71, when Mr. H.\kmek entered the House of 
Representatives, was an important jieriod in our history. 
Amonij his associates on the State delegation was the Hon. 
William I). Kellc\', a gentleman of unconnnon industr>\ 
abilitw and influence: Mr. Leonard Myers, of Philadelphia, 
who also rendered long and efticient service: and that grand 
patriot and statesman, Sanuiel J. Randall. .\11 these have 
pas,scd away except Mr. Myers. In the s;une House we find 
the honored names of James Ci. Hlaine, Michael C. Kerr, 
Cieorge W. McCrary, James B. Heck, William P. Frye, Eugene 
Hale. Heiny L. Dawes, Samuel S. Cox. J;iines A. (iarfield, 
Charles Foster, Luke P. Poland, and Jeremiali M. Rusk — all 
active and forceful men in tho.se stirring times. Only two 
or tlnee of these illustrious men survive, and to speak of 
them all now is to recall a past generation, Hetween that 
and the i)reseni ei)ocli ^^ !1>''^m" "• ■- m" '■■ ''-■• nther 
day, a connecting link 

Mr. H.VK.MICK was not ,1 law \ ci li\ priilL----iiin, nm did he 
po.ssess special oratorical gifts. He was a merchant and a busi- 
ness man, and as such ampl>' <iualified to represent a great 



Adihrss of Mr. J/eycr, oj Louisiana. 39 

commercial and manufacturing center. He was liere in a 
period of unusual party and sectional bitterness; liut, while a 
strong part\' man, he was personally devoid of acrinioin', and 
he aroused no animosities. In this way, following the natural 
bent of a kindly, fair, and just disposition, he was able to 
secure an a])preciative consideration for the business intere.sts 
which he nndertook to champion. I think that I may freely 
assert that he never made an enemy on cither side of this 
House, antl that he enjoyed an nnconnnon measure of its good 
will and confidence. There was no one whom he could not 
freely approach in matters of public Ini.siness, and no one to 
whom he in turn would have refu.sed a fair lieariug and just 
consideration. His industrw punctuality, and attention to his 
duties were not confined to his ciwn cit_\' and State. They 
embraced the Union and every part of it. 

In a period of ])arty strife and luidue acrimony in debate, 
and pn)bal)h- an (iver-tendenc\' to jier-sonal conflicts and impu- 
tations, I consider it a fortunate thing for the Hou.se to jxjssess 
a l.)ody of members, like Mr. Har:m]CK, who.se moderaiion, 
good sen.se, and mode.sty serve to compose strife and pave the 
road for judicious and patriotic determinations. The sensible 
and fair member of this Hou.se, wherever he may .sit, is as apt 
to wield a good and great influence as the man who exceeds 
him in oratt.irv. 

It is well known here that a very large part of the most 
eflecti\-e and \-aluable work of a memlier consists in counnittee 
wnrk. either as a member of a committee or in presenting to 
other connnittees matters specially affecting the Representa- 
tive's constituents. This .service is rarely ostentatious, but it is 
often laborious, and requires industry, order, tact, and personal 
influence in order to accomplish the best results. During the 
last ten years General Har.mek has served upon the Connnittees 



Life and Character of Alfred C. Harmer. 

iilxiii Indian Affairs, Xaval Affairs, Foreign Affairs, the 
Library, and the District of Cohinibia. All these were ver>- 
important committees. The last two were those on which 
General Haksikk last served, and of late years their duties 
have become much more varied and difficult. Congress is, in 
fact, the government of this District. This community is enti- 
tled to fair and generous treatment, and the city of Wa.shington 
has always received it at the hands of our deceased as.sociate. 

General Harmek never neglected his public work, but he 
was of a marked social turn. He enjoyed the society of his 
family and his friends. In his later life he sjient many of his 
sunimer hours at Brigantiue Beach, a place on the New Jersey 
coast that he was instrumental in developing and building up, 
and where he enjoyed in a quiet, simple way the outdoor life 
and relaxation in which he was to all a most agreeable, cheer- 
ful, and hospitable companion. 

In this brief and hasty sketch I have endeavored to portray 
the public life of one who for many years pursued the path of 
steady and unostentatious duty in this Hall. His memory will 
abide with us and will be remembered by those of us who were 
his fellow-members with the affection and respect due to his 
many virtues, his unvarying courtesy and kindness, and the 
personal worth which characterized him lx)th in private and 
pulilic life. He has left us forever, it is true, but he has left 
us nothing to forgive, nothing that we could wish to forget, 
nothing in which his State, his constituents, and family may 
not take a just and honorable pride. He was fit to represent a 
greal Conunonwealth such as that which honored and trusted 
him to his latest hours on earth. 



Address of .^fr. Morrell, of Pcnnsylvayiia. 41 



ADDRESS OF Mr. morrell, OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr. Speaker: I feel sure that the members present who 
have come to honor the memory of their departed brother and 
friend, the late Hon. Alfred C. Harmer, will accord to me 
some degree of indulgence, realizing as they must the ordeal 
through which I have been compelled to pass; first, in present- 
ing myself to the voters of the Fifth Pennsylvania Congres- 
sional district as a successor to a man held in the esteem in 
which they held the late Hon. A. C. Harmer, and, having 
been elected, in presenting myself to be sworn in at the bar of 
this House as the substitute in this honorable body of a man 
who had won so many friends through the love of which he 
inspired during the many years he \\as a member of this House 
by his sincerity of purpose and faithful discharge of dut}-. 
As they loved him, so, I trust, they will deal gently with my 
shortcomings. , 

The late Hon. Alfred C. Harmer belonged to a group of 
statesmen coming from the great Keystone State, Pennsylva- 
nia, whose record for length of service and ser\'ices performed 
can not be equaled by any State in the Union. I refer to the 
Hon. William D. Kelley and the Hon. Charles O'Neill, who 
each sen-ed fifteen terms in Congress; to the Hon. Samuel J. 
Randall, and to our late lamented friend, who each served 
fourteen terms in Congress, and to the Hon. Galusha A. Grow 
and the Hon. H. H. Bingham, who, thank God, are here with 
us, strong in health and strong in their usefulness in the coun- 
cils of this body. 

It has been well .said that it is not greatness simply to 
have held important trusts; greatness lies in the faithful per- 
formance of all duties committed to us. That man is not 



4:; Life and Character of Alfred C. Hai 

iriilv >^reat wlui does not display 'lomely. hoiic^i iiniiiiuy in 
the small affairs of lirV in his daily intercourse with his 
fellow-nian. 

The ^reat State of Pennsylvania, greatest in the Union in 
its hist<jry and resources, found in him a son well adapted 
to llll the measure of a represenl:i'i''- •■•■ '" '''•• ii'-;...! ele- 
ments of her yrealness and jxjwer. 

The (listinj^uished services of the lau- llini. A. L Hakmuk 
on the important committees of this House, which numljer 
anions; their members so many elhcient men, are sufficient to 
stanij) him as a man far above ordinary attainments and ability. 
He may not have possessed to the same degree as some others 
the ability to dazzle the public with bursts of oratory, sallies of 
wit. or bitiufi sarcasm; but in soundness of judgment, and in 
thorough grasp of the .subjects of legislation, and in patient 
and conscientious di.scharge of duty, he stands, and de.serves 
to stand, in the foremost rank. A career .so long and so useful 
in the councils of the nation is a monument to his iiii.-.iii\- 
as a man and to his al)ility as a state.sman. 

The personality of the late Hon. Ai.kkkd C. H.\KMi:k. ni>i 
only in his own district, but wherever he chanced to go, won 
for him friends. His kindly bearing and nobility of character 
were siMjedily recognized by all with whom he came into 
iminiate contact. To say that he was beloved by all who 
knew him is but to feebly express the feelings tliat were 
entertained toward him. 

In his last years of service he was known as the "Father 
of the House." He was indeed a father to his constituents 
in the best sense of the wortl, for it was his constant aim to 
care for the fatherless children and widows and all who were 
desolate and opjiressed. He was not a politician in the general 
acceptance of the term; he never po.sed as such before either 



Address of Mr. Morrell, of Pennsyhania. 43 

his constituents or this body, of which he was a member for 
so many years. Jnst as his path was straight, so were his 
doings as bright as the noonday sun. Elected b\- the people, 
he was of the people and for the people, and his name in his 
own district was a household word. To one class al:)o\'e all 
others was he especially a friend. I refer to the old soldier, 
liis widow and orphan. Xone of those, or none of those that 
belonged to them, ever appealed to the late Hon. Alfred 
C. H-\RJ1ER in vain. 

Above all el.se on this earth, the Hon. Alfred C. Harmek 
loved his home. There it was he found his greatest happi- 
ness. Can it, then, l)e wondered that the loss to his widow 
and children is what it is? We can extend to them .sym- 
pathy, but only time and that God who is the father of the 
widow and the fatherle.ss can succeed in His bountiful mercy 
in assuaging the irreparable loss. It was they who realized 
the sacrifices made, the truth of the statement, "Greater 
love liath ijo man than this ; that he la>- down his life for 
his friend." 

So it was that when the death of this statesman and friend 
became known it was a sorrow that touched all clas.ses and 
conditions of men; and not the men only, but the women and 
the children joined with their husbands and fathers in ;in 
expression of the loss they had sustained, which lamentation 
was as sincere as it was outspoken, for "Out of the fullness 
of the heart the mouth speaketh." 

As I said on a late occasion in Philadelphia, in \isiting the 
different portion.s of the Fifth Pennsylvania district which my 
campaign necessitated, I was often touched beyond measure 
and at the same time brought to realize most forcibly the 
largeness of the place which I was endeavoring to fill. While 
of course generalities were always indulged in regarding the 



' -ti- and Cliaracler of Alfft-d C. llarmer. 

< ai>:iiinnRs mid kindliness of the late Hon. A. C. Hakmkk, 
yet here and there this man or that man, j)erhaps the hum- 
blest in the assemblage, would take me aside and say, "'Do 
for us as Al. Hakmkk did and you will l>e all right; do not 
forget us people." In fact it reminded me of Ixring called 
home on the occa.sioii of the sudden death of a near friend or 
relative. Ujx)n opening the front door one perhaps sees the 
familiar hat or coat still hanging on the rack, and turning 
aside into room after room nrst one familar object and then 
another greets one. In this room perhaps a book ojjen at .some 
favorite pas-sage; in another a bunch of flowers of the variet>' 
especially loved, or .some pictures on the wall repre.senting 
the favorite .sport or pastime, and .so on until is reached the 
room familiarly called "the study." There is the writing 
tai)le, there are books spread out and arranged, the letter 
half written, the ink scarcely dry on the i)en, and there the 
easy-chair in front of the fire, in which at times a few 
minutes would tie snatched from labor. 

And so it was as I journeyed through the Fifth Pennsylvania 
district. Everywhere there was something to remind me of 
the late Hon. Alkkku C. H.vkmek. And just as I likened 
tile club bearing his name to the ea.sy chair before the fire, .stj 
I might liken his life here to the writing table heajjed up on 
the one side with documents framed for the benefit of the 
peo])le of the country and his district, on the other side with 
dociunents acknowledging .services rendered. 

His last official act in this House was to administer the oath 
of office to the present Speaker, the Hon. David K. Hender.son, 
a duty which he j>erformed when scarcely able to make his 
way to the desk and rai.se his arm. Performing this duty, as 
he did, contrary to the ailvice of his jihysician. it might lie 
said that he was 'faithful unlu dealli. ' What a glorious 



Address of Mr. Morrcll, of Poinsylvania. 45 

career, what an eudiiig to a long life — one to be envied b\- 
the rich or the poor. At the last moment we find him, hav- 
ing completed his threescore years, full of honors, mourned 
bj- all who knew him. Can we not, therefore, feel confident 
that the same voice which brought him the last summons 
went on to say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 



I. iff and Characlcr of .lljiYii 



^ D' 

Mr. Si'KAKiCK: It is indeed a pri\nlege to join with my fellow- 
meinlK-rs in ofTcriiif? triljutes to the memory of Ali-kkd C. 
Hakmkk. He was not al<»ne an honor to our CommonweaUli 
and our coumr\-, hut an lionor as well to the whole brotherhood 
of man. 

In the l*"ifty-third Con>jress, through mj- close personal rela- 
tions with the Hon. \V. H. Hatch, of Mis.sonri, I came to 
know and enj<jy those traits of character which endeared Mr. 
II.\k:MKK Ui his a.ssoeiates. Ai.i'kku C. Hakmkk and \V. H. 
Hatcli weri- conspicuous for their loyalty to party principles. 
the one a Republican and the other a Democrat, and yet Ijc- 
tween them there existed a friendship such as is too rarely 
found among men. They were as Jonathan and David in their 
union. 

Never had I known two men in maii>' jioints of resemblance 
so nuich alike, both giants physically and richly endowed men- 
tally; but, lieyond all else, endowed with large, wann hearts 
and clear moral perceptions. Personally they feared nothing 
in this world except to do a mean action. In battle fearless, 
bold, and rugged, always ready for the rough encounters of 
daily life, and yet to the last jireserving thost- kindly instincts 
and human ,sym])athies which were as easily awakened as those 
of the gentlest woman, producing such characters through the 
))k'nding of loftiness and simplicity as we by common consent 
ascrilie to those knights of old who graced the round talile of 
King Arthur. Mr. Hatch, in the absence of Mr. H.\kmi:k. has 
talked to me for hours about his friend H.\r:«kk and his rare 
virtues, and, as a nuitual friend of both, H.\kmkr would tell 
me how the world was bles.sed h\ a man like Hatch. 



Address of Afr. Sibley, of Petntsylvania. 47 

Mr. Speaker, from this mundane spliere of activity both have 
passed to that higher sphere, to that truer, better hfe, wliere 
we may fondly trust the union between such friends is now 
complete and abiding. In these few words I join again these 
friends, for together I learned to know, respect, and love them. 
What new member of Congress that was not indebted to them 
for kindh- words of counsel and for kindl\- acts performed? 
The>- lived not to themselves alone, but they lived for others; 
and many lives were brighter. man3' homes and hearts were 
blessed, because of the loft\- purpo.ses, the noble impulses of 
these two men. 

Alfred» C. Harjier died the "Father of the House." 
W. H. Hatch died a private citizen, after conspicuous public 
service of many years. Xo eulogies upon Mr. Hatch have, 
consequently, been presented in this Chamber, but on this occa- 
sion I trust it is not amiss to thus refer to one of Mr. Har- 
mER's friends and colleagues who first gave me to know the 
grand traits of character of Alfred C. Harmer, who, through 
an innate mode-sty and natural reserve, did not reveal alto- 
gether to the casual observer his .strength, his nobility, and his 
real worth as a private citizen and a legislator. 

The memory of Alfred C. Harmer will forever be cher- 
ished by those who, like us, have had the opportunity to 
know his real value to his friends, his Commonwealth, and his 
country. 

The Speaker pro tempore ( Mr. Lovering). As a further 
mark of respect, and in accordance with the resolution pre- 
viously adopted, the House now stands adjourned until 12 
o'clock on Monday next. 

And accordingly ( at 2 o'clock and 25 minutes p. m. ) the 
Hiiuse adjourned. 



48 Life and Character of Alfred C. /farmer. 

FeBRTAKY II, lyOI. 
MKSSAI'.K 1"K()M TllH SENATE. 

Tlie coiniiiitlee iiifornially ruse. 

A iiiessajje from tlic Senate, liy Mr. Ciiniiinghain, one of 
its clerks, announced that the Senate had passed the following 
resohitioiis: 

Kfsolvid, That the Senate has lieanl witli profound sorrow the an- 
nouiiccnient of the death of Hon. ALFRED C. Harmer, late a Repre- 
sentative from the State of Pennsylvania. 

A'esa/ifd, That the business of the Senate be now suspended in order 
that fitting tribute be paid to his metnorj-. 

Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect the Senate, at the 
conclusion of these ceremonies, do adjourn. 



Proceedings in the Senate. 

March 7. 1900. 

A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. \V. J. 
Browning, its Chief Clerk, connnunicatecl to the Senate the 
intelligence of the death of Hon. Alfred C. Harsiek, late 
a Representative from the .State of Pennsylvania, and trans- 
mitted the resolutions of the House thereon. 

The message also announced the appointment by the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives of a committee on the part of 
the Hotise to take charge of the ftmeral arrangements. 

Mr. Pexrose. I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate the 
resolutions which ha\e jtist lieen received from the House of 
Representatives. 

The President pro tempore. The Chair lays before the 
Senate the resolutions front the House of Repre.sentatives, 
which will be read. 

The Secretary read the re.sohitions, as follows : 

Ix THE House ok Represent.a.tives, March 7, /poo. 

Resolved, That the Hou.se has heard with deep regret and profound 
.sorrow of the death of the Hon. ALFRED C. Harmer. for twenty-seven 
years a Representative from the State of Pennsylvania, and the seni<jr 
member of this House in time of continuous service. 

Resolved, That a committee of fifteen members of the House, willi 
such members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend the 
funeral at Philadelphia. Pa., and that the necessary expenses attendinj< 
the execution of this order be paid o\it of the contingent fund of Ihe 
House. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and 
directed to take such steps as may be necessary for properly carryiiij; out 
the provisions of this resolution. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate 
and transmit a cop}- thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The Speaker announced the appointment of 'Sir. Bingham, Sir. Adams. 

H. Doc. 525 4 49 



5" /'roiiit/i>it;s III llic Scnali. 

Mr V..11I1K ..f I'liin-ylvaiiia. Mr. MiAlci-r. Mr. Dalzcll, Mr. Wuiigir. Mr. 
Itro.siiis, Mr. lUitlt-r, Mr. McCli.-ary, Mr. K<.-tcliniii , Mr. Balicock, Mr. 
Kichanlstjii. Mr. Ciitchinn-s, Mr. Terry, aiij Mr. I-ilzgcralil of Massaclui- 
.si-tl.-i as iiit-mtK-rs i)f siiiil oiiiniiitti-e on tin.- part of Uii- lloust. 

Mr. PiCNKo.si-:. Mr. President, in consequence of the an- 
ncinnccnienl which has just iK-en made of the action of the 
Hou.sc I if kejire.sentatives upon the death of my late colleague 
in llial Ijody, Mr. H.vkmkr. I submit the re.soUitions which I 
send to the desk, .and ask unanimous consent for their innne- 
tliate consideration. 

The Pkksidknt pro tempore. The Senator from Penu.syl- 
vania submits resohitions which will be read. 

The Sei.-retary read the resolutions, as follows : 

Resolved, That tlit; Sfiiatc- has lic-anl with ik-fii .siiisibilily iJic aii- 
nouiiceineiil of the death of Hon. .\i.rRKl) C. H.\r.mkk, late a Repre.senta- 
tive from the State of IVniisylvaiiia. 

/i'c5o/t ■<•(/, Tliat a conuuittee of five Senators be appointed by the Presi- 
dent pro tempore to join the connnittee appointed on the pari of the 
Hou.se of Re])re.sentatives to take oriler for superintending the funeral of 
tile <leceased. 

Resolved, That the Secretary connnunicale these resolutions to the 
Hon.se of Repre.sentatives. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 

The Pkksident pro tempore. Under the .second resolution the 
Chair appoints as the committee on the part of the Senate Mr. 
Penrose, Mr.Mason,Mr.Hansbrough, Mr. Sullivan, and Mr. Scott. 

Mr. Pic.\KosK. Mr. President, as a further mark of respect 
to the memory of my deceased colleague in the Hou.se of Rep- 
resentatives, I move that the Senate do now adjouni. 

The motion was iniauimously agreed to; and (at 3 o'clock 
and 4.S minutes \\. m. ) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow, 
Tliiirsilay, March S, 1900, at 12 o'clock ni. 



Proceedings in the Senate. 51 

December 10, 1900. 

message from the house. 

A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. H. 

L. Overstreet, one of its clerks, annouuced that the House 

had passed resohitions commemorative of the hfe and public 

services of Hon. Alfred C. H.\rmer. late a Representative 

from the State of Pennsylvania. 

Jaxuarv 29, 1901. 

Mr. Penrose. Mr. President, I wish to give notice that 
on Saturday, the 9th of February, I will call up the resolu- 
tion of the House of Representatives announcing the death 
of my late colleague in the House, Hon. Alfred C. Harmer, 
and will ask the Senate to suspend its proceedings in order 
that fitting tribute may be paid to his memor>\ 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES. 

February 9, 1901. 

Mr. Penrose. Mr. President, I ask the Chair to lay before 
the Senate the resohitions of the Hoii.se of Representatives 
relative to the death of the Hon. Ai.FREn C. Harmer, late 
a Representative from the State of Pennsylvania. 

The Presiding Officer (Mr. Gallinger in the chair). The 
Chair lays before the Senate the resohitions indicated by the 
Senator from Pennsylvania, which will be read. 

The »Secretar\' read the resolutions, as follows: 

In the House of Representatives, 

December 8, iqoo. 

Resolved. That the business of the House be now suspended that oppor- 
tunity may be given for tributes to the memory of Hon. Alfred C. 
Harmer, late a member of the House of Repre.sentatives from the State 
of Penn,sylvania. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased, and in recognition of his eminent abilities as a distinguished 
public servant, the House, at the conclusion of these memorial proceed- 
ings, shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to send a co]5y of these reso- 
lutions to the family of the deceased. 

Mr. Penrose. Mr. President, I offer the re.solutious which 
I send to the desk. 

The PresidinCt Officer. The Senator from Pennsylvania 
submits resolutions, which will be read. 

The Secretary read as follows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with ])rofi)und sorrow the announce- 
ment of the death of Hon. Alfred C. Harmer, late a Representative 
from the State of Pennsylvania. 

53 



54 M.„u.,.u. .,„.,,..,.. 

Resolved. Thai the business of the Senate \re now suspended, in order 
that fitting tribute Ix; paid to his mctnory. 

h'esolved. That ns an additional mark of respect the Senate, at the 
concUision of these ceremonies, rlo adjourn. 

The Pkksiding Oi-i-ickr. The question is on agreeing to 
the resohitions ofTcred by the Senator from Pennsylvania. 
The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 



Addicss o/Mr. Penrose, of Pennsylvania. 55 



ADDRESS OF MR. PENROSE, OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr. President : Upon these resolutions I desire to address 
a few remarks to the Senate. 

Alfred C. Harmer was born Augu.st 8, 1825, in German- 
town, then a township in the county of Philadelphia, now a 
part of the city of Philadelphia. 'He was educated in the pub- 
lic schools and at the Germantown Academy. He began his 
business training early in life, and before he was 20 years old 
was engaged in business for himself. In a few years he had 
estabhshed himself at the head of a large shoe-manufacturing 
concern. In his twenty-first year he was elected a director of 
the public schools of Germantown. Subsequently, the town- 
ship of Germantown having become incorporated as a borough, 
he was chosen by popular \-ote a member of the new town 
council. 

In 1855 the city and county -of Philadelphia were con.soli- 
dated, and in 1856 Mr. Harmer was elected to represent the 
Twenty-second Ward, which included the place of his birth, in 
the popular branch of the city councils. XTuder the act of con- 
solidation Tnany new and important (piestions arose concerning 
the municipal government. To the consideration of these 
questions he brought his quick powers of observation, .sound 
judgment, patient energy, and native tact and aptitude for busi- 
ness affairs. He was soon recognized by his associates in city 
councils as one of the .strong men of the body and as an able 
advocate and faithful defender t)f the general public interests »{ 
the rapidly growing city. As a member of councils he took a 
deep interest in the local railway system of the citj-, and ser\'ed 
three years as president of one of the street roads — the Thir- 
teenth and Fifteenth Streets Railway Company. The city of 



56 Life and Chaiackr of Alfred C. Harnier. 

Philadeliihia al tlial tiiiit- held an interest of 5i.400,(X)0 in the 
stock of the Xortli Pennsylvania Railroad, and Mr. Harmek 
was three times elected hy the two branches of the city councils 
as a director of the company to represent the investment on the 
part of the city. 

In 1.S60 Mr. H.VKMKH was nominated f(jr the office of recorder 
of deeds for the city of Philadelphia by the People's party, 
which was the successor of the old Whig party. The jHjriod 
was one of great political excitement. Two other tickets were 
in the field, nominated by the Dem(K-ratic ])arty and the Native 
American party. After a spirited campaifjn Mr. H.\kmkr was 
elected by a majority of 2,7^.^ votes over lx>th competitors, 
although the Democratic candidate for ^(ivernor carried the 
cit>' l)y a majority of 1.S86. AIhuU the same time he was 
ajipointed hy the citizens' committee to collect funds in the 
Twenty-seconil Ward for raising tnxjps, to which fund he 
contributed largely him.self. He was a delegate in the .same 
year to the national Republican convention in Chicago. He 
fulfdleil the duties of llie office of recorder with ability, and 
during the same jieriod, the war being in active progre.ss, he 
devoted :nuch of his lime and energy to eiiuipping and plac- 
ing soldiers in the field. 

In 1H70 Mr. H.VKMKK was elected to the Forty-third Congress 
by a large majorit\' to represent the Fifth district of Pennsyl- 
vania, comprising at that time Hucks CoiuUy and three wards 
of the city of Philadelphia. He entered uiwn his long public 
career with the ei|ui])ment derived from a considerable ex])eri- 
ence in ])ublic affairs. He continued in Congress from 1870 to 
the day of his death, in .March. 1900. with the single exception 
of the Forty-fourth Congress. His failure to be returned to 
the Forty-fourth Cougre.ss was the result of an accident. An 
a]>pnrtionmenl of the CiJUgressioual districts of Pennsylvania 



Address of Mr. Penrose, of Pennsylvania. 57 

had just been made by tlie legislature. Certain wards were 
taken from the Third Congressional district, then represented 
by Hon. Leonard Myers, and added to tlie Fifth district, repre- 
sented V)\- Mr. H.VKJIEK, thus placing both Mr. H.\rmek and 
Mr. Myers in the same district. In the convention the dele- 
gates were evenly divided between Mr. H.\kmer and Mr. Myers. 
Neither would j'ield, and so both were named in the same hall 
as the regular nominees. The result was that the Democratic 
candidate was elected in the district. 

During the long period of his Congressional .services, covering 
thirty years of the most important legislative history of the 
country, Mr. H.vrmek took an acti\'e interest in all mea.sures 
brought before Congress. For many \ears he was a member 
of the Xaval Committee, the Committee on Foreign Aflairs, and 
the Committee on the Library. He devoted his entire time 
unselfi.shly to all matters of a public nature, and served with 
rare zeal and fidelity the personal intere.sts of his constituents. 

The district represented by Mr. H.\rmer at the time of 
his death contained a population of 3;,4,S3I. In the di.strict 
are many great and varied industrial concerns and a thriftx'. 
intelligent, industrious, and prosperous people. 

Philadelphia has been f requenth' called the ' ' City of 
Homes. ' ' The number of individual hou.ses in Philadelphia 
is about equal to the nundier of registered voters, indicating 
that each voter lives in his own home or under conditions 
"-pproximating thereto. Probably no great city in the world 
possesses such a general industrial prosperity and .such indi- 
vidual well-being, independence, and intelligence. A senti- 
ment of stalwart American patriotism is preeminent among the 
citizens of the birthplace of American liberty. Mr. H.\rmer's 
district possessed these characteristics to a preeminent degree. 
This splendid district continued to return Mr. H.xr.mer for a 



Life and Character of Alfred C. Harmer. 

lidKiU which rciulcrs his Congressional semce exceptional in 
tire history of the country. 

Tlic history of the representation of the city of Philadelphia 
in the House of Representatives is reniarkahlc. Mr. H.VRMER 
was one of a group i^f four men in the House, all lx)rn in the 
city of Philadelphia, whose combined service reached the 
aggregate of one hundred and twelve years, commencing in 
1.S61 and ending in 1900. William 1). Kelley served twenty- 
nine years continuoush-; Samuel J. Randall served twenly- 
.seven years continuously; Charles O'Neill served twenty-nine 
years, and Mr. H.vr.mek twenty-seven years, each of the two 
latter having suffered defeat for one Congress. All were 
cxcejitionally strong men. William D. Kelley had a national 
re])utation in connection with tariff legislation. Samuel J. 
Randall was respected by the people of Philadelphia regardless 
of party. It is probable that at some times he could have been 
elected to Congress from any district in Philadelphia. Great 
efforts were made by the business and industrial interests of 
Penn.sylvania to retain him in Congress, and for many years 
the legislature of the State preserved his district as he desired 
it, so that his continued return to Congress might not be 
im])eriled. 

Charles O'Neill was preeminently a useful Representative 
of his district. Mr. H.\kmkk did not excel in those parts 
which catch the jniblic eye. He was not an orator in the 
connnon acceptation of the word, but the records of the many 
Congresses in which he served as a Representative will .show 
that by his votes he at all times exhibitetl good judgment, 
was true to his party convictions, and he was always patriotic. 
Another Representative, the Hon. Henry H. Bingham, for- 
tunately for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania still active and 
energetic in the discharge of his Congressional duties, shoidd 



Address of Mr. Pentose, of Pennsylvania. 59 

be counted iu the group to which I have referred. He was 
elected to the Forty-sixth Congress in 1878. He has ser\-ed 
continuously ever since, for a period of twenty-two years, 
and succeeds Mr. Harjier to the titular position popularly 
known as "Father of the House." Kelley, O'Xeill, Harjier, 
and Bingham, all from Philadelphia, have in succession achieved 
this distinction. 

Mr. Bingham speaks of his late colleague as follows: 

' ' To no division or part of his constituency did he show 
more faith and solicitude and devote more personal labor than 
to the soldiers and sailors of our wars since 1861. He made 
their claims and privileges inunediate and .special. In every 
case he wrote au autograph letter to the claimant, with 
words of interest, sympathy, and hope. He pressed those cases 
personally, and never rested until a fair and "just judgment 
was rendered. Every soldier and soldier's widow among his 
people mourned for him when he died. They felt that they 
had lost their best friend." 

The pa.stor of his church at the funeral service in eloquent 
words, in the presence of large numbers of his con.stituents, 
said : 

"I would .speak of him as a citizen, a faithful .steward of 
the State. He was fortunate in that for thirty years, with 
only one brief interval, he represented his district in the 
Hou.se of Representatives, and his constituents were fortunate 
in having such a man to represent them. Without arts that 
attract the attention of the nation, he had those gifts that 
are worth more — lucid thotight, persistent application, and 
unwavering fidelity to what he counted duty. 

"I would speak of him as one whose life was sweet, with 
kindly words, friendly smiles, and generous deeds." 

The public career of Mr. H.\rjier extended over a period of 



6o Life and Character of Alfred C. Ilarmcr. 

nearly forty-foiir years — from the time he was elected a sclux)! 
flircctor until the time of his death. His career was long, use- 
ful, honorable, and distinguished. He had more than filled 
f)Ut the allotted span of human life. We resign ourselves to 
the fact of death, under tlie.se circumstances, as coming in 
the inevitable course of nature. We suspend the proceedings 
of the Senate that we ina>- pa>- our tribute of esteem and 
regard for the memory of our late colleague, and we extend 
to his widow and her children, to whom he has left the 
priceless legacy of an honorable and distinguished name, our 
profound sympathy in their bereavement. 



Address of Mr. Raiclins, of Utah. 6i 



ADDRESS OF Mr. Rawlins, of Utah. 

Mr. PresidexT: Already we have heard :i full and clear 
statement as to the career of the deceased. I first met Mr. 
Alfkkd C. H.\rjiek while serving^ as a Dele.ajate in the 
Fifty-third Congress, Mr. H.\rmer spent his life in the 
public service. For more than a .generation prior to that 
time he had been a member of the House of Representatives. 
He had occupied many places of trust and responsibilit}-. 

As I remember Mr. H.vr.mek, he did not indulge in any of 
the ostentations of public life. He was a silent man. Yet lie 
was entireh' sincere and faithfully devoted his energies and his 
abilities to the service of his constituents and his coiintr\'. His 
warm heart, genial spirit, and devotion to duty secured for him, 
undoubtedly, the continued and loyal support of his people. 
Quietly and in his own way he did his part: his constituents 
knew it, and were satisfied. It is no light ta.sk, indeed it re- 
quires the keenest insight into human nature, much wisdom, 
and .steady perseverance, to retain .so long the unvarying e.steem 
of the multitude. To him this trait must have been natural, 
and it seemed not to be difficult. 

When we reflect that for more than a quarter of a century, 
in all the vicissitudes of public fashion and changing circum- 
stance, one man could retain so long the confidence of the peo- 
ple and maintain his position in public life without diminution, 
it certainly indicates something in the character and wisdom 
and usefulness of the man which it is difficult fully to appre- 
ciate and estimate. 

Mr. Harmer had as his associates during the period of 
his service in the House very many distinguished men. All 



fi2 Li/f and Cliatartti oj .\lj><d L. Hut met. 

of them, so far as I am able to judge from my brief experience 
in that Ixxly, held him in high esteem. He \va.s fully trusted. 
He \va.s at all tinjes respected. He after\\ard.s Ijecame the 
father of the House, and not only by the length of his ser\ice 
there, 1)111 also in the (jualities in.spiritig re.spect which he 
IHJS-sesscd. merited that name. I cheerfully, although my ac- 
quaintance with him was limited, .say these few and im[x.'rtect 
words out of re.sjject to his memory. His loss undoubtedly 
will be very keenly felt, not oidy by his constituents, but by 
those with whom he was as.sociated in the other branch of 
the National Legislature. 



Address of Mr. Hansbrough , of North Dakota. 63 



ADDRESS OF Mr. Hansbrough, of North Dakota. 

Mr. PresidexT: I knew the late Alfred C. Harmer as 
a public man only; but if the qualities he possessed in this 
capacity may be taken as an index of his private career, there 
can be no doubt about his wortli to the times in which he 
lived. It is related that during his thirty years of .service in 
the other body he ne\-er made a speech. Whether that be 
strictly true or not, his well-known silence should not and 
will not be laid up again.st the vast amount of good he accom- 
plished as a member of the important committees with which 
he was prominently identified. I had the honor to serve with 
Mr. Hakmer for a number of years on the Joint Committee 
on the Library, and it was here that I learned to admire and 
to love him. He was a courth" gentleman, endowed with a 
strong sense of justice and noted for his extreme caution. 
In the consideration of the measures whicli came to that 
connnittee, if he was in doubt, he would invariably advise 
delay, the result being that the bill or resolution, when it 
did receive his approval, bore those marks of perfection so 
much desired by those who aim to la>' the sure foundation 
of enduring" law. 

Another characteristic of our departed friend was the exact 
consideration with which he met and dealt with his fellow- ■ 
men. the high regard he had for their rights, and the patience 
with which he sought and weighed their opinions. 

Mr. President, it is not for mortal man to peer with absolute 
certainty into the great beyond. We can only speculate as to 
the future. The mystery of death has baffled the centuries, 
and it seems to have been decreed that we may only hope. 



r>4 /-//' iiiiii Lhanulii i'f Aljial c. J/armcr. 

That L-rratic cluiiiter of iinpronipiu measures, Walt Whitman, 
has s;ii(l, "It is as great a marvel to Ije bom a' to die:"' and 
yet since these events are of daily ix-currence, we have come to 
regard thetn more or less stoically. Beyond the joy in the 
family circle incident to a new human arrival the great world 
is nnmoved. Hecaus^e we do not recognize the genius of the 
man wliiie he is yet in the cradle there lies a veil of my.stery 
n\cr the daily life of the world which lends an alluring gla- 
mour to the commonest exi.stence. 

Our neighbor is a go<Kl citizen, a kind husband, and an 
indulgent father. We see him each day and are inclined, ])er- 
ha])s. to criticise his lack of philosophy when he misses the 
street car. Alas, one day. which has been just like any other 
day to ns. it is reported tlial he is ill, and we are moved to 
grant liim one moment's sympathetic thought. A mutual 
friend mentions him with affection, and another recounts some 
sacrifice, some jjatient. noble deed of heroism. It is then that 
his real worth is revealed and recognized, and he is at once 
transformed to a new and higher estimation — our neighbor is a 
hero. And when he has passed away tliere is a clamor of 
plaudits and eulogistic tongues that nuist have Ix-en wholly 
lost while he lived. Our neighbor was in truth a great man. 
We .shall hear nothing now of his lack of philo.sophy. but only 
of those things which rightfully contribute to his renown. 
Thus, in the hearts and consciences of the living are erected 
the monuments to inninnerable dead. As John Tabb in his 
terse little ])oem so beautifully .says: 

Thc-ir noonday never know.s 

Wliat nanifs ininiorlal are: 
'Tis ni;.;lil alone that shows 

How star snrjjas.scs star. 

I speak to-da\- in niemoriam of the death of a Congressional 
neighbor and friend. I would l)e .t^lad of the gift of the magi. 



Address of Mr. Hansbrough, of North Dakota. 65 

who are supposed to have the power to enchant with words 
that stand out Hke hving presences, ffir then might I hope to 
do justice to the memory of Alfred Harmek. 

For those who were near him that mourn his loss there must 
be some consolation in the measure of recognition which his 
associates here, who mourn with them, accord to the noble 
virtues of his life. Among those virtues was an abiding faith in 
the integrity of mankind. He was a true patriot, a consistent 
believer in the superiority of our form of government and the 
greatne.ss of our common country. This being true, we can 
not doubt his complete confidence in the Deity. 

Death, which he so well tuiderstood to be the chief inherit- 
ance of man, mu.st have come to him as a sweet benediction, 
for hi.s was a well-spent life. \\'ith natures like his I am sure 
there can be no regrets. They would not stay. There is 
somewhere a poem which celebrates ' ' the cit.\" of the living ' ' 
and paints it as filled with plea.sure and joy perpetual. Within 
its wide walls "never any die." Yet after a long run of years 
its inhabitants one Ijy one stole away and climbed over the wall 
into the land of "the blessed l)oon of death." So at last it 
must come to us as a boon. How grateful it nmst have been 
and what a privilege to our friend after his long and honorable 
life! Optimistic, loving children a.s he loved all else that is 
beautiful, how sweet to his ears the whisper of the prattling 
child who, on being told of the beauties of God's home in 
heaven, replied, "Then death is only God's sleep." 

And .so the joys and sorrows of life are blended with the 
mysteries of death in close embrace. Lucretius, the ancient 
philosopher and poet, tells us that — 

Things seem to die, but die not; the spring showers 

Melt on the bosom of Jlother Earth, 
But rise again in fruits and leaves and flowers, 

.\nd every death is nothing but a birth. 

H. Doc. 525 5 



J.tit iuul C/iiiiiu:'i !'/ .tnna t. Harmer. 



A: Mr. Chandler, of New Hampshire 

Mr. I'lo-.siDiiNT: The Senator from Pennsylvania [Mr. 
Penrose], on account of my pleasant acquaintance with Mr. 
Hakmkk. has asked nie on this occasion t<j i>ay a tribute to 
his memory. 

I am reminded of the meinljers of the House of Repre- 
sentatives from Philadeljihia whom I haw known since I came 
to this city in 1S64, Judjje William I). Kelley, indeed, I had 
known before that time, when he came to New Hampshire in 
the sprinj; canvas.se.s in that State, and traveled over our hills 
and through our snowstorms in order to make jwlitical s])eeches 
in advocacy of the jx^litical faith that was in him. 

Judge Kelley was probably the mo.st remarkable of the 
Representatives from the city of Philadelphia whom I have 
known. A self-made man, because he posse.ssed no early 
advantages, he came to be a political economist of the highest 
rank. He studied great questions, exjwunded them, liecame 
an orator in behalf of the American system of protection, and 
came to Congress for that long career which made him 
preeminently the Father of the House. 

In 1864 I also met that genial gentleman, Charles O'Neill, 
and knew him intimately until the day of his death. Whole- 
souled, genial, and affectionate, he was one of the most 
agreeable acquaintances of my life. I mourned his loss with 
as nmch sincerity as I ever did that of any dear friend. 

Leonard Myers was at the same time a Representative from 
Philadelphia. He is a lawyer of keenness and shrewdness, 
an eloquent speaker, and a most energetic advocate of every 
cause which he espouses. I am glad to state that he still 



Address of Mr. Chandler, of N'ez,' Hampshire. 67 

lives, in the full possession of his faculties and in the en- 
joyment of the best blessings which life can confer. 

General H. H. Bingham I well know, and I highly esteem 
him — a man of energy, an incisive speaker, a persistent 
investigator — a Representative well worthy of the great city 
which he represents. 

Next, the thought comes to every one of us of Samuel J. 
Randall. He became a great man, although he was not born 
to affluence. Btit he was intellectually strong. He had moral 
and physical courage unlimited, and an indomitable will, and 
he represented the great protection city of Philadelphia in 
Congress a long period. Althoush he differed so nuich from 
the great constituencv which made the whole city, j-et I think 
he was .sent to the House with the general concurrence of all 
the broad-minded and influential citizens without distinction of 
party. I truly desire, having mentioned Mr. Randall, to speak 
of him in the highest terms as a citizen, as a Representative, 
and as a statesman. My relations with him, although we were 
of opposite politics, were \'ery deliglitful and nuitiially helpful. 
He certainly had no more sincere and resiiectfui mourner than 
I was. 

Mr. President, to join the Philadelphia delegation in the 
House of Representatives in 1S70 came Mr. Alfred C. 
H.\KMER. I became acquainted with him immediately. I 
knew him during his whole career. There was between us 
tender and intimate friendship ; we never had a word of 
difference during thirty years ; and I surely have the right 
here and now to speak earnest words in his praise and to do 
all I can to pay due honor to his memory. 

Mr. President, although it is true, as the Senator from North 
Dakota [Mr. Hansbrough] has said, that Mr. H.^kmer was 
not an orator, yet \\e know he was no ordinary man. No man 



6S Lift' tinii Chtiiarltf Of .iiji^'i c . Harmer, 

witlidut j;reat intellectual and moral qualities could hold the 
confidence of his constituents as he did for twenty-eight years 
( \yS\\\% left out of the House only two years by accident, as has 
been shown by the Senator from Pennsylvania). Men do not 
reach such distinction without extraordinary qualities, and if 
they do not possess the gift of eloq lence. the traits which 
would give a man such high position must be in some respects 
stronger than those possessed by some of the noted orators of 
the House and Senate. 

Mr. H.\K.MKK had no collegiate education. He was educated 
in the public .schools of Cermantown and in the Germantown 
Academy, and very early plunged into the active business of 
life. He became a merchant. He dealt in real estate. He 
engaged with Yankee shrewdness — I may say with Philadelphia 
shrcwdnes.s — in the business of money making, and was suc- 
cessful in acquiring a com]>elency for himself and his family. 
His rare qualities called him into the service of his fellow- 
citizens, and he became early connected with the city govern- 
nieni of Philadelphia. His local career in that city is one 
which I know does him no discredit in any single respect, and 
wliicli, I am sure, reflects high honor upon his name. 

Next he was elected to his higher duties in the Capitol of 
the nation. All who knew him tliere realize how industrious 
he was; how (lersislent he was. The Senator from North 
Dakota has told us how cautious he was in all his acts and 
conduct as a legislator; and he developed, Mr. President, the 
highest order of practical wisdom as a representative of the jieo- 
ple of his city. 

I think I ought to speak in the strongest language I can 
command in emphasizing the u.sefulness in Congress of 
such men as Mr. H.\kmkk. It is not those of us who make 
l(jng speeches wiio render the most effective .ser\-ice to our 



Addirss of M?'. Cfiand/cr. of Wcv Hampshire. 69 

constituents, but it is those of us wlio quietly and unostenta- 
tiously study the subjects of le.a:islation and see to it that wise 
and beneficent laws are enacted, doing' the dtity not by oratory, 
but by practical common sense and persistent application of our 
power to the performance of the duties which we are called 
upon to fulfill. 

Such was Mr. Hakjier in ptiblic life, to my personal knowl- 
edL;e. and I also know that he was a good citizen. In his 
family relations he was a kind and generous and noble hu.s- 
band and father, genial and gentle and loving in all his domes- 
tic relations, and in his personal relations with those of us who 
knew him .so well and who so deeply mourn the loss of a true 
and tender friend. 

Mr. President, on an occasion like this inevitabh' our 
thoughts revert to the question of our immortality. We 
pau.se from the bustle of life to think of death and what 
comes after it, and we are not willing to believe that death 
is annihilation. It can not be that this world in all its gran- 
deur, that this world with all the wonders which the telescope 
reveals, with all the wonders which the microscope di.scloses, 
is the end of all things to the men and women who live upon 
it. We have no knowledge. As the .Senator from North 
Dakota has said, it is mainly hope; and yet we do belie\-e as 
well as hope that after all the excitements of life have passed, 
and the powers of nature fail, there will be an existence beyond. 

There is a state unknown, unseen, 

Where parted souls must be; 
And but a step doth lie between 

That world of souls and me. 

And yet, Mr. President, although the .step is quick in time, 
I can not help thinking, as I have .said before in this Cham- 
ber, that the final resting place or the final place of service 
to which we go is far off in distance, is away among the 



70 Life and Character of Alfred C. /fanner. 

stars of heaveu. It can hardly l>c that we live as disembodied 
spirits waitiii)^ near this present earth of ours, which, coni- 
jKired with even the visible orbs, is but a speck in God's 
universe. If it were so it would be a .sad condition, for we 
could not communicate with those whom we have loved and 
who remain here, and they could not communicate with us. 
So I like to think that the .stars are our future abodes: that 
in the twinklinj; of an eye, with the rapidity of light, when 
we leave this temjxjrary home we go on to our new and 
eternal existence in .some of the g^eat worlds around us which 
are kept in their cea.seless circuit by an Almighty hand. 

Mr. Presiilent, I heard a few years ago a discourse in one 
of the churches of this city from the Rev. William Henry 
Furness. whom my friend the Senator from Pennsylvania well 
knew, the saintly Unitarian divine who wrote some of the 
noblest hymns in our language. He came here after he was 
so old and feeble that he could not stand in tlie pulpit, and 
sitting in his chair he talked to us sweetly and inspiringly of 
innnortality, and urged us all to renew our faith in the future 
life; to cling to the belief that the glories of the hereafter 
are such that the joys of this present world are not to Ije 
compared with them. And after he had thus inculcated upon 
us faith in inunorlality, he said that wliile, of course, we 
could not know what we are to encounter when we go into 
the world of spirits, yet he would tell us what he sometimes 
thought Wf might reach in that future state. After several 
joyful imaginings he lastly said: "Considering all the trials 
and sorrows, bereavements and di.sappointnients, which come 
to us as we grow old, I sometimes think that it will be a little 
easier for us in the next life than it has been in the present 
life." 

Mr. President, possibly that is not the true and complete 



Add)rss of M>\ C/iaiid/ci'. <?/ AVa' //aiiips/iirc. 71 

idea, because we all of us. when we reason on the subject, 
must believe that the life to come is eventually to be a life 
of activity, a life of work, a life of service. Yet the most 
prevalent hope of the devout is that of a little rest before 
entering into new labors. The new hfe we wish to be a little 
easier; a little rest is what we long for, and with the bless- 
ing of God upon us we .shall first renew our strength in a 
blissful and blessed repose. 

Rest comes at length, though life be long and dreary. 
The day must dawn, the darksome night be past; 

All journeys end in welcomes to the weary. 
And heaven, the heart's true home, will come at la.st. 



Liji and Chitradit 



A: ■ :.IR. Money, of Mississippi. 

Mr. Pkksiijic.nt: It has Ijeeii two dccaile.s ami a lustniiii 
siiKL- \\\\ acqiiaiiitaiice bc>;:aii with tlie .subject of these euloj^es. 
Alikki) C. H.\kmi:k entered tlie Forty-secuiid Conj^rcss, ser\e<l 
in the Forty-third, ajjain reentered — after leaving out the Forty- 
fourth — the Forty-fifth Conyress. and continued as a ineniljer 
of Congress until the day of his death. I was a nieniljer of the 
Forty-fourth Congress, and then became acquainted with him 
as with all the other Philadelphia members who have been so 
feelingly and affectionately remembered by my friend from 
New Hampshire [Mr. Chandler]. That was u time of intense 
political excitement. 

Mr. H.VKJiKK lo.st his .seat, I think, in the Forty-fourth Con- 
gress, because in that year there was an upheaval in politics, a 
.sort of cataclysm that hurled from jx)wer the Republican party 
and placed in the Hou.se of Representatives a Democratic ma- 
jority and from the South men who truly represented it. Tlie 
South had not \\\i to that time been represented by its own .sons, 
and in that jiolitical re\-olution I, with a great many others, 
came into Congress from the South. 

It ha])peiied that the fury of the conflict, which always affords 
to great men their opportunities, brought to the front the strong 
men of the North and of the South, and they met in that Con- 
gre.ss, which, in my opinion, was the greatest that has ever 
as.sembled in the House of Representatives, if jierhaps we mav 
exclude some three or four of the first Congres.ses which had in 
their membership the men who framed the Constitution of the 
United vStates. 

I had it in my mind this morning to call over the names 
of the distinguished men who comjjosed that grand assembly of 



Address of Mr. Money, of Mississippi. 73 

genius and of character. It is sad to note how many of them 
have passed to "that bourn whence no traveler e'er returns." 
Out of the 357 members now sitting in the House of Represen- 
tatives only 2 of them were memliers of the Forty-fourth Con- 
gre.ss — General Ketcham, of Xew York, and Mr. Cannon, of 
Illinois, both of whom have not been ser\-ing uninterrupted 
terms. 

The array of genius, talent, and character that met in political 
conflict upon the floor of the Hou.se of Representatives was 
not only remarkable for its greatness, but remarkable for its 
controversies. This great Republic at that time was settling 
questions of the most momentous importance. \'ital interests, 
far-reacliing policies and principles, were to be determined. It 
seemed as though the section.s — the Ea.st, North. West, and 
South — had sent their best men to the controver.sy. 

I desire to read the names of a few of the men I have noted 
here, those who are recognized as men of national character and 
importance who were then the members of that august body 
and who have now passed away. 

I recollect very well Michael C. Kerr, the first Speaker of the 
House of Representatives in that Congress, to be followed by 
that distinguished Pennsylvanian who has been so well eulo- 
gized by my friend from Xew Hampshire, Samuel J. Randall, 
the man with a lion heart and with a consummate tact for the 
management of men and the resolution not to be daunted by 
any opposition. 

Among the members was the brilliant, the witty, the humor- 
ous, the belles-lettres scholar. Sunset Cox — S. vS. Cox. ALso 
Richard P. Bland, whose agitation of the silver question .so 
long and with such ability won him a world-wide reputation. 

Following him was David B. Culberson, probably the great- 
est lawyer the House has ever seen, or certainly one of its very 



74 /-'/<■ and Character of Alfred C. Haritur. 

first, aiiil from the t>egiiini!ig of his career to the close of it 
always a comiiiandiiijL; jxiwer in the House. 

Next was Charles J. Faulkner, an old man, distinguished l>e- 
fore the civil war in the House of. Representatives, and who 
had served as a minister to France, an accomplished dijilomat. 
and an old-time \'irginia gentleman. 

Then K. John Mllis. called the "eloquent" Ivllis. of Louisi- 
ana, who. with a mellifluous voice and Ijeautiful rhetoric, so 
often entertained the fanc>' and won the plaudits of audiences 
in every .section. 

Following him was David DuiUey Field, one of the greatest 
lawyers New York has ever known and. I believe, the author 
of the movement to codify the laws of the States. 

Then came James A. Garfield, afterwards the President of 
this great Republic, a man of .supreme intellectual power, of 
the most amiable personal character, a good compatiion, and 
a .student of almost everything that came within his intellec- 
tual survey. 

Following him was a man whose name was a name to con- 
jure with — James G. Blaine, the brilliant American ; a man 
with an intensely American foreign policy that he lielieved to 
be to the credit and to the glory of this country ; a man who, 
I believe, at one lime had a larger and a more affectionate 
personal following than any man who has ever figured in 
American politics, in my time at least. 

Benjamin H. Hill, the lawyer, the orator, and the .statesman, 
whose tremendous speeches had an effect in the House of Rep- 
resentatives in the Fort\-f<>unh Congress that can be compared 
only to the discharges of heavy artillery ujxjn a field of battle. 

Frank II. Hurd, the distinguished lawyer and orator of 
Toledo, Ohio ; a man recogni/.ed throughout the limits of this 
country as one of the very first legal minds in it, and when he 



Address of Mr. Money, of Mississippi. 75 

spoke iu the House he had the ear of every man who was in 
the Chamber. 

L. O. C. Lamar, who graced a place in this Chamber, passed 
from it into a Cabinet office, and afterwards became one of the 
associate justices of the Supreme Court — L,amar, the man of 
genius, the man of philosophy, and the man of affairs, whose 
eloquence was of that character which required stud_v and 
thought, with no spontaneity, but with a magnificence of dic- 
tion and profundit\- of thought that always impressed itself 
powerfully upon his hearers. 

Henr}' B. PaN-ne, afterwards a member of this body, a man 
who was an influence iu Ohio second to none, a man of the 
purest and loftie.st character. 

Alexander H. Stephens, the poor little cripple, whose life 
was lived in a rolling chair, Ijut whose intellect, whose charac- 
ter every one bowed to in profoundest respect — a most affec- 
tionate, amiable, and gentle nature, and yet with a heart as 
resolute and as cotirageous as ever beat within the human 
breast. 

J. Randolph Tucker, the profound lawyer, the sagacious 
state.sman, the exqui.site wit, the humorist. What a lovable 
companion! How delightful the niemnr>- he leaves to the 
circle of admirers he left behind him I 

William A. Wheeler, called from the House of Representa- 
tives to sit in that chair and preside over the deliberations of 
the Senate as Vice-President of the United .States by the votes 
of its people. 

Casey Young, the great lawyer and orator from Teiuiessee, 
who only died last year, the frieud of my heart; the man who 
was nearer to me, perhaps, than any other man; whose good 
traits were so numerous that they can hardly be enumerated in 
this place. 



76 Life and ChararUr oj .ii/ini c . J/iiim, 1 . 

JtTL- Rusk, the hi)^, stalwart man from the West, bret/.y. 
bold, frank, broad-minded in ever>- resjiect; who afterwards 
became Secretary of ARriculture of the United States, and 
j^overnor of his State. 

Omar I). Conj^er, a nian of biting wit, with a sarcasm 
that ii<)lx)dy could re.sist, who was transferred to this Chani- 
l)er anil distinguished himself here by his usefulness. 

William 1). Kelley. who has l)een alluded to by ]ny friend 
from New H;imi)sliire [.Mr. Chandler] — a man whom I knew 
well and intimately. He was a tli.soiple of Henry Carey, 
and he never omitted an opjxjrtiuiity anywhere to preach 
his d<jctrine with great force and effect — a man of genial 
nature, companionable in every respect, and one of the 
remarkable men of the Forty-fourth C(jngress. 

The next name 1 have on this list, which stretches out so 
long, is (leorge W. McCrary, of Iowa, who became Secretary 
of War — well jxjised, a lawyer, eminent in council and in 
debate, and in every way worthy of the honors which he 
received. 

Fernando Wood, who was once the great mayor of New 
York, and who became a figure of influence and importance 
in the Forty-fourth and many succeeding Congre.s.ses — a man 
who, 1 believe, at one time during the civil war had the 
audacity to declare, as her mayor, the indej>endence of the 
city of New York. 

.\lfred M. Scales, of North Carolina, a thorough gentle- 
man, a fine lawyer, afterwards governor of North Carolina. 

Then from that Congres.s there were men transferred to 
this Chamber who arc now living — Josepli C. S. Blackburn, 
llie Kentuckv genius, who has his moments of inspiration, 
who has that jieculiar manner, which Jefferson Davis had, of in- 
jecting into connnon conversation the most thrilling sentiments. 



Address of Mr. Money, o/ Mississipfii. 77 

William P. Frye, the distiiignished presiding officer of this 
Chamber, whom we all delight to honor — a man lold in his 
conflicts, ready in his retort, capable in every sense, enthusi- 
astic, industrious, indefatigable, and resoltite. 

Eugene Hale, Senator from Maine, broad-minded, scholarly, 
capable, eloquent, able to take care of himself anywhere. 

George F. Hoar, the ..'rudite scholar, lawyer, and statesman, 
whose eloquence has been the delight of this Senate and who 
never speaks but to instruct the Senate. 

Then I have the names of some other men here who have 
retired to private life to enjo>' repose of declining years, who 
had figured as conspicuous characters in the Forty-fourth 
Congress. 

J. Proctor Knott, the Kentr.ck\' humorist, who made the 
great Duluth speech and the speech on improvements in Wash- 
ington, which will go down to the remotest ages of English- 
speaking posterity as the best sj^cimens of American humor. 

Roger Q. Mills, who lateh' departed from this Senate an 
honored member, capable of great work, forceful in language, 
and in ever}- regard worthy of the respect of his constituents 
and of all men. 

W. R. Morrison, the author of the Morrison bill, whose 
courage and fidelity to principle secured him a long service in 
the House of Representatives and the admiration of Democrats 
wherever one exists. 

James Wilson, who was. perhaps, the best parliamentarian 
in the House, and who is the Secretary of Agriculture in this 
Administration — a man who.se intelligent, careful, economical, 
and efficient management of that Department has marked a 
new era in its career and evidences a future usefulness for it 
that the people of this country, one-half of whom are agri- 
culturists, fully appreciate. 



yS Lift- and Character of Alfred C. llariiier. 

John A. Kassoii, who is known now. and was then, as one of 
the first men of the House, a lojjical speaker, a ready debater, 
an acccjinjilished diplomat. His speech l)efore the Electoral 
Commission in 1S76 was one of the best. He has Ijeen since in 
the employ of our Government as a diplomat. He has shown 
the most consummate skill in his negotiation of rnii.iM,ii\- 
treaties. 

Henry \V. Hlair. who came from the House of kcj.!^ -^ ui.i- 
tives to the Senate and distinguished himself here by a long 
career of usefulne.ss and by his advocacy of educating all of the 
population at the co.st of the General Government. 

Then there is Joseph G. Caiinon, who has had long service 
there, interru])ted only by one term, and has shown tlit- '-Tcatcst 
capacity for public business. 

A. S. Hewitt, of New York, a millionaire, wim sullx-cikii hi 
everything he midertook ; a cool, sagacious, level-headed man, 
who rarely sjOTke, but always .spoke with effect. 

Adlai v.. Stevenson, late \'ice-President of the United States, 
and last year again the nominee of his party for that high 
office, who i)re.sided over the delil)erations of this Senate, clear- 
headed, cool, amial)le, judicial-minded, fair, an honor to his 
country, and, I believe, the favorite of Democrats everywhere, 
but I am sure, al.so, the friend of all with whom he ser\-ed in 
the Senate on either .side of the Chandler. 

Gen. Eppa Himton, now of this city, one of the gallant Con- 
federate officers who distinguished himself during the civil war, 
a former member of that House, a mcnibL-r of the Electoral 
Commission, who afterwards came lo this Chamber, where 
he continued tlie u.sefulness which distinguislied him in the 
House. 

The last one I have left on this li.st is John H. Reagan, 
afterwards a member of tliis IkuK He ii-sitrnc<l his pl:ice hi-rc 



Address of Mr, Money, of Mississippi. 79 

to take the chairmanship of the railroad commission of the 
State of Texas, He is tlie last surviving member of the 
Confederate cabinet, the counselor of Jefferson Davis, honest, 
fearless, devoted to popular rights. 

These are some of the members of that remarkable Con- 
gress, with too many of scarcely inferior rank. 

In the Forty-fourth Congress, among this array of orators 
and speakers, I do not recollect that I ever heard Mr. H.\rmer 
make a speech. I did not know him intimateh", but socially 
I knew him very well. He was a reticent man. He rarely 
spoke when anybod>- else wanted to do so, but he was always 
readj' to an.swer intelligently any questions that were put to 
him. He was direct; he was amiable; he was tru.stworthy. 
and the best evidence of this is that for so long a time his 
constituency considered him worthy to represent them in the 
House. 

He had great committee work to do, and he did it un- 
ostentatiously and well. He never paraded himself in politics 
or in society or anywhere else; but he was a successful man. 
He had a cool mind, a keen insight into business. He knew 
the trend of events. He invested his money wisely, and he 
tried almost everything — mines, railroads, real estate, manu- 
facturing — and w-as successful in all of them; and after he 
entered public life he was still successful. In other words, 
he was a model American in many re.spects, a man of great 
dignity of character, of never-failing courtesy, of easy man- 
ners, charitable, and lovable. 

He was an indulgent father. He was loved by his family. 
He performed all the duties that devolved upon him in his 
long career^that of being a good father, a good husband, a 
good neighbor, and a good citizen. 

His religious convictions were not subject of talk, but they 



rti) Lift- and Charailir <// . iiitiU c . llai nui . 

Were deep. I tk) not know lu what church he Ixrloiiged, nor 
whether lie belonged to any: Iml he was one of those calm 
and practical-minded men who l^elieve that our lives here fix 
the conditions of our souls hereafter; that there is a here and 
a hereafter: and if he was correct — and I Ijelieve he was — 
then in that future world, when the roll is called of all who 
were worthy of j^oiul rei)ort here helow, he can answer. "I 
am here." 

We know nothing hut by authority of what is beyond. 
The philosophers from ajjes untold have attempted to demon- 
strate to us the future life, the inmujrtality of the soul. Plato 
as.serted it. Socrates proved it, Addison, the poet, believed in 
it and quoted Plato to justify his lielief. There has not l>een 
a generation of n\ankind of any nation anywhere that has 
not acknowledged the existence of a God and l>elieved iu the 
inunortality of the soul. 

The Acadian religion, the religion of the Chaldeans, a 
religion which Abraham carried with him down from the 
cit\- of Ur, and which his successors carried to Egypt — take 
their invocations, their hymns, their prayers, and you find 
that all are to the same Almighty God, the Father of all. 
All speak of the future life in invocations for Divine mercy 
and forgiveness of sin. The ancient Egyptian religion — a 
religion which left such magnificent fragments of its splendid 
temples to be reflected in the Iw.som of the Nile and to excite 
the woi'ider and admiration for five thousand years. Take 
that fertile strip barred by the rocky hills, and lx;yond the 
hills the lawny waste of desert sinid, and in that valley, 
which was so long the seat of enterprise, of commerce, of 
literature, of architecture, of arts and sciences, and they, too, 
believed iu the future life witii an intensity of conception to 
which we are strangers. They would even have made the 



.-lifi/n'ss of Mr. Money, of Mississippi. 8 1 

body immortal, and in their tombs we find to-day a hymnal — 
the book of the dead — in which the sold was instructed in 
what it should say when it appears before those inflexible 
judges who shall pronounce the sentence and decide its fate — 
"Have you done this?" and "Have you done that?" — and 
the soul must answer truly to them. 

Everywhere, even in the worship of the American Indians, 
and especially in the Peruvian mvthology, you will find 
prayers and invocations, showing their belief not onh- in the 
eternity of the soul and of a future existence, but in a state 
of reward and punishment and of a Divine Being with power 
to condenm or to be merciful, the Giver of all good gifts. 
A preacher might take one of those prayers — the prayer to 
Pachiunac, for instance — and deliver it next Sunday in any 
Christian pulpit, and no one of the congregation would know 
Init that it was a beauti.iil creation from the brain of the 
Christian pastor. 

In all ages men have believed in the innnortality of the soul. 
Later we find scientists arguing upon purely scientific ba.ses, 
and by scientific processes, without quoting any authority what- 
ever, although they are Christian belie\'ers, ha\-e demonstrated 
to a scientific conclusion that the soul shall forever live. 

We walk through that door into another chamber, and from 
that to another, and no man knows whither we go. So we 
pass down to the narrow portals of the tomb, and we disappear 
from the gaze of the world. Our friends are heartstricken with 
grief for a little while, Ijut soon we are forgotten, we are a mere 
memory, and after a while a tradition; but the busy world with 
its thronging multitudes moves on, absorbed in its politics, its 
commerce, its business. 

When the soul has gone beyond the portals of the tomb, 
H. Doc. 525 6 



/.//<■ inid Character of A It red C Harmcr. 

wIkii it has sliakeii off the flesh and its imiK-dinieiita here, then 
in the eternal hereafter we may know tliat all of that which we 
call "the ])ast." " the dark Ixickward and abysm of time," that 
flitting, flitting nionieiit which we call "the present," and that 
coniinjj: which we call "the future" are all merged in one 
"now." and there is no pa.st. present, or future, but all is now. 
There is no jilace, but all is "here," and above all is tlie 
g(xxlne.ss of the Creator, the Father of all. 

FatliLTof all. in every .ige. 

Ill every clime iflorcd 
By s;iiiil, by .siivage, or by s;ige— 

Jehovah. Jove, or Lord. 

Mourning for departed relatives or friends is simply an ani- 
mal instinct, the pain of breaking the tender tendrils atxiut the 
heart. It is the pang of separation that gives death its terror; 
nothing else. Who fears to meet the future? Is there any 
man afraid? If .so, then let him change his course. How men 
rush to the cannon's mouth, how they risk perils on .sea and 
land, and how little they think of death! What small terror it 
has for an\- man. whatever his l>elief may be as to the future! 

And. after all. .Mr. President, every heart must feel that 
.soouer or later we must go to face the realities of which we 
have all thought and dreamed, and solve the great mystery of 
life and the .still greater mystery of death. It lias been said 
that— 

It is nut all of life to live. 
N<ir all of (k-alh to ilii-. 

Thai means that there is .something in this life that is 
projected into the life beyond; that tlie .soul can not cast aside 
everything which it now has, but carries with it into the 
future existence something of the "now," .something of the 
"here." We are told that the subjective mind, which con- 
trols the automatic functions of the l)odv, and which takes 



Address of Mr. Money, of Mississippi. S3 

care of us when we are asleep and when we are unconscious of 
the effort to Isreathe or to pulsate our hearts — that subjective 
mind is the part that will live hereafter. We are told that 
of the different nerve centers that one is the physiological 
base of the soul. 

Every nation has its belief upon these points, but all agree 
upon one great fact — that there is a hereafter, and that in 
that hereafter the soul must take its .stand as it ordained for 
it.self in this world. There is no interference; tliere is no 
help. Of course the mind must yield to heredity and environ- 
ment, but, after all, it is responsible for its own efforts. 

In view of these facts, when I consider our departed friend, 
when I think of his kindly good nature, of his amiability, of 
his charity, of his .self-respect, of his gentle bearing, of his 
sense of right, of honor, and of justice, of his fair dealing 
with his fellow-men, I think lie has exercised at least the 
religion of humanity, and like Abou Ben Adhem, when he 
awoke from his dream of peace and asked the angel if his 
name was written in the Book uf Life. "Not so," the angel 
said. "Then," .said Ben Adhem — 

Write me as one who loves his fellow-men. 

The angel smiled and showed him the book — 
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. 



84 /-//< it mi LiiiUiiiltr 0/ Alfnd C. Uartner. 



ADDRESS OF MR HAWLEY, OF CONNECTICUT. 

Mr. President: I merely wish to add my brief testimonial 
to what lias already lieen said regardiiiR the life and character 
of the late Kepre.sentative from Pennsylvania, Ai.FKKD C. 
Hakmek. 

I concnr in every word of excellent jirai.se which has been 
nttered in the delineation of our friend's services and every 
lovinjj tribute that has been paid to his memor>-. I entered 
Congress through the House of Repre.sentatives in December, 
1.S72. I found there Mr. H.\k.mek, and soon made his acquaint- 
ance. Circumstances connected me with the Centennial Kxjx)- 
sition at Philadelphia, and I found Mr. Harmer one of the 
most generous, energetic, and kindly siii)porters of that great 
enterprise. Indeed, for that matter, nobody in Philadelphia — 
that noble city, the birthplace and home of the Declaration of 
Independence, whicli made her famous all over the world — was 
anything else. 

The remarkable list of offices which Mr. Hakmek held shows 
that he was not only respected, but that he must also have been 
loved. 

He was broad-shouldered physically, mentally, and morally. 
He did not profess to be brilliant. It was not needed that he 
should profess to be an honest and just man, a man of integrity 
and true generosity. That was evident to all who knew him. 

I do not know that I care to expand longer ujion the ])ecul- 
iarilies of Mr. Hakmek. In one sense he was not a man of 
peculiarities. He resembled in some respects men of the gen- 
eral cla.ss of George Washington — men of great, broad common 
.sense, who did not jjrofess to Ije showy, who were not showy, 



Address of Mr. HaiL'lcy, of Connecticut. 85 

and did not attempt to impress the world by their laiigtiage or 
their manner. 

Mr. Harmer was at the same time a man of patriotism as 
warm as that of Abraham Lincohi. He went through hfe 
discharging every duty and leaving behind him a memory that 
must be most grateful to his family and to all his friends. 
Certainly tho.se of us who have been in Congre-ss for twent.\"-five 
j'ears or twentj'-six years will remember him with \-er\- great 
respect and pleasure. 



S6 Z,//( iiicu Liuinuui ('/ .iijiiLi (_ . //> 



ADDRESS OF MR. CARTER, OF MONTANA. 

Mr. Pkksident: Alfred C. H.vkj'ER entered the House of 
Representatives .sliortly after the close of the great civil war. 
He entered the Chanilicr of the other House when James G. 
Blaine was Speaker. Many of the distinguished men named 
by the Senator from Mississippi [Mr. Money] were members of 
that House of that Congress, and of the Congresses succeeding 
for a dozen years. There had been upon the roll of memljer- 
ship men of conspicuous ability, men who.se services the coun- 
tr>' can never forget, and whose names can not l>e omitted from 
any well-written history of their time. 

The period following 1S70 was a trying period for this coun- 
try. The civil war had left the country in a distracted condi- 
tion. The painful process of reconstructing the States which 
had been engaged in rebellion was then in progress: the cur- 
rency of the country was inflated; the industrial life of the 
country in a demoralized condition. There was some doubt 
being expressed among the wise men of Europe as to whether 
our country could completely recover from the terrible shock 
of war. Passions ran high; violent expressions were frequently 
heard in l)oth Chambers of Congress; men at times ceased to 
reason and elected to rage; motives were questioned on all sides. 

In the midst of conditions like this, Mr. Hakmer entered 
Congress from the State of Peinisylvania. He was a quiet and 
a discreet man. Tlirnugh thi.- inlluence exerted by such men 
as Mr. H.\KMEK, ratlier than through the lofty and frequently 
impas.sioned declamation of men who shone more brilliantly, 
good results were evolved from unpromising conditions. 

He lived to see the country increa.se from thirty-eight and 



Address of Mr. Carter, of Montana. 87 

one-half niillioiis population in 1870 to a population of seventy- 
six and one-half millions in 1900. The country's population 
had doubled during the period of his service in Congress. He 
had witnessed the complete conquest of the continent from one 
ocean to the other. Subjected frequently to stormy and har.sh 
criticism, he had .sustained, as he thotight was wise and well, 
the various measures under which the country's deliverance 
came from the unhappy conditions surrounding it at the time 
of his entrance upon his Congre.ssional career. He lived to see 
the country, at that time disunited in sentiment, completely 
reunited in sentiment. He lived to see the men wlio wore the 
blue and the men who wore the gray stand shoulder to shoulder 
and side by side against the common enemy, fighting together 
in defending the common flag of the common countrw 

He happily lived to .see those who que.stioned in 1870 the 
possibility of the complete reuniting of all sections of the 
country concede in igoo that the Union was complete; and in 
so conceding uniting with all their brethren in its defense. 

The .discreet men, I think, have done more to advance the 
cause of good government than the brilliant men of the world. 
The world's workers, those who actually accomplish results, 
are little known in histor\'. We have all perceived in pu1:)lic 
life the potent influence of the quiet, silent, persi.stent, indus- 
trious man. I would not disparage, nor would I belittle the 
gift of oratory or fluency of speech, but would somewhat 
detract from the magnifying of those gifts .so often possessed 
to a .superlative degree; and in gazing upon the brilliant and 
showy side of mankind the meritorious and effective body of 
men are frequently overlooked. 

Alfred C. H.^rmer was a member of the Fifty-first Con- 
gress. He had been a member of several Congresses preceding 
that. I entered the Fifty-first Congress as a member from a 



88 Life and L'lutnulcr of Al/itd C. llarmer. 

new Slate- ill the aiitutnn ot 1SS9. My acquaintance with 
Mr. Hakmkk during my Congressional experience in the 
House ripened into a most agreeable, pleasant, and friendly 
relationship. The quiet, forceful manner and capacity for 
bringing aliout net results, without unusual or unnecessary 
(listurlmnce, would quickly impress anylxxiy who liecame ac- 
(juaiiiled with the man or his methods. Pure in thought, lofty 
in pur|X)se, always patriotic, he gave forth an influence alike 
beneficial to his constituents and to his associates in the House 
of Representatives. 

Inuuortality, the Senator from Missi.ssippi well suggests, is 
coii.sciously or uncon.sciously conceded the wide world over 
wherever intelligent ijeings exist. But there is another kind 
of an immortality than that which attaches to the soul — that 
inuuortality which is inseparable from the influence of good 
deeds. As a pebble cast into the midst of the sea will send a 
wave to every shore, so a good life well spent will give ri.se 
to an influence destined to affect the world in greater or less 
degree to the remotest ])eriod of recorded time. 

In this sense, sir, Alfked C. H.vrmer has achieved inuuor- 
tality amongst men. His life was blameless, his ser\"ice to his 
country faithful, and when that life closed there was naught 
deeply to regret. He had lived full three-quarters of a ceu- 
tur\-. and had contributed in houoraiile, manly, and noble 
fashion to the full niea.sure of his ability to the betterment of 
his kind and the glory of his country. 

The re.solutions having Ijeen previou.sly adopted, the Senate 
(at 6 o'clock and 3 minutes p. m. ) adjourned until Monday, 
I'"tltruary 11, lyui, at 11 o'clock a. m. 

o 



Library of Congress 
branch Bindery, 1901 



